The Demon in Me
by casgetoutofmyassbutt
Summary: "They stood there in silence, looking away from each other. Dean was worried that if he stared at Castiel too long he might see some flaw in the guy. Castiel looked away because he knew Dean was questioning him." Teen!Dean, Teen!Cas Destiel. High School Supernatural, not an AU. Rated M for swearing and future chapters.
1. The Angel at His Side

**The Demon in Me**

**Chapter 1: The Angel at His Side**

The roaring engine sound of the Impala grew loader as it rolled closer to St. Michael's High School. As the brakes were applied and the tires rolled to a stop, two boys groaned towards their father. "Can't we just go with you?" Asked the younger in the back seat. He looked over the window of the Impala at the large school.

"Shut your cake hole, Sammy." The older barked, opening the door of the car. He threw his bag over his shoulder and stepped out onto the pavement. Sam soon followed, crawling out of the car with his own bag. He looked back at his father and said good-bye.

Sam and Dean Winchester were two very unfortunate boys. Their mother was killed when they were only small children, and they have been on the road ever since. Their father, John, was a hunter. Not the kind who shot deer and loved hunting game. No, their father was a hunter of the supernatural. Truth is, their mother was killed by a demon, and their father was hunting it, and everything like it, down. "Now boys, stay out of trouble." He said with a stern voice. He revved the engine of the Impala. "Dean." He boomed. The older son turned around, as did Sam. "You watch out for Sam, do you hear me?"

"Yes sir." Dean answered back, nodding at his father. They all said their final goodbyes and the Impala drove off, not to return for a while. John left Dean in charge of Sam. He got them in the local high school, and rented them a hotel room for as long as he could.

Dean gripped Sam by the shoulders and nudged him towards the school. "Alright Sammy, are you ready for the first day?" Sam sighed, blowing his soft, brown bangs from his eyes. Dean continued, "We won't be here for long. Don't worry about fitting in. It isn't worth it."

"Whatever, Dean." Sam brushed off Dean's grip and walked towards the large school before him. _St. Michael's… _ Sam thought. He knew this school would be just like the rest. He would be the weird kid and Dean would just act like a bad ass. He thought back to the school he had been at before. Dean kept making out with a girl in the janitor's closet, while he was bullied. Well, bullied until he fought back, which made him look like even more of a freak. Sam sighed once more, and the two brothers entered the school. It was time for another first day.

The first day was something Sam and Dean had gotten used to over the years. It was a miracle that they had both made it to high school, let alone Dean making it to senior year. Sure, Sam had the smarts to get along well in school, even with all the changes in schools. He had a plan to go to college, get out of the world he was stuck in. Dean, on the other hand, was more interested in chicks and 'ganking' demons than grades.

Both Winchester brothers made their way to the office of St. Michael's High School. Sam sat down quietly, checking his bag for all the essentials of school. Dean slouched into the chair next to Sam, looking around the room until the principal came into the room. "Good morning, boys." Sam smiled nicely, while Dean blew the principal off. What was another authoritative figure in his life? "I see you have changed schools quite a number in the past years. What do your parents do for a living?"

Dean scowled, while Sam got a frightening look on his face. Dean shot a glare over to Sam, telling him to keep quiet and let him do all the talking. "Mom's not around. Dad is in the military." That was the usual cover. They never tried explaining that their mother had been killed by a demon, and that their father was an apparent nut case out to hunt everything down. They were sure that child services would come for them if they ever tried explaining their current situation.

The principal was taken back and fixed his glasses so that they sat evenly on the bridge of his nose. "I see." He said, checking his desk for the boy's schedules. Soon he found them and handed them over. Dean took both of them, checking Sam's over and memorizing which classes he had and when. He then handed it over to Sam, finally checking his own.

"Thank you, sir." Sam said, standing up from his seat to shake the principal's hand. Dean just watched as his brother fit in perfectly. Something Sam was always good at doing, being normal. Dean pushed back his chair and stood. He nodded towards the principal and nudged Sam out of the office.

"Come on Sammy." Dean shut the door behind them and walked down the hall with Sam, until Sam found his first class. They parted ways and Dean looked at his own schedule. The hallways were empty since classes had already started. Dean walked silently towards his first class. His schedule said that it was in the south wing of the school, so he followed some signs and eventually found his way there. Upon entering the room, Dean popped the collar of his leather jacket and stared at the class with a clenched jaw.

"Teach." Dean nodded towards the aggravated teacher who glared at him for interrupting class.

"Class, this is Dean Winchester. Mr. Winchester, please take a seat next to Castiel." Dean looked around the room, searching for the empty seat next to some guy the teacher named off. He finally found the seat, and the guy. It was near the back corner of the classroom. His neighbor was the guy staring blankly out the windows of the classroom.

Dean paced the room over to his seat. Some jocks sized him up, while a couple girls gave him flirtatious looks. He got to his seat, swirled his chair around and sat down. After the interruption he made had calmed to a stop, the teacher resumed his lesson. Dean leaned forward on the chair, bored already with the dull life of a high school student. He wished he would be out there with his father. Hunting things, saving people, the family business. But no, his father wanted him in school, safe and away from the danger.

Dean yawned, cracking his jaw in the process. He glanced over to his neighbor who was still staring out the window into the clear blue, fall sky. The guy was wearing a simple pair of pants and a white button up dress shirt with a messy blue tie. Dean thought he was some kind of overachiever, dressing like that for stupid high school, but as he looked around at the other students, he realized that he was the one who stuck out like a sore thumb. Everyone was dressed semi- formal with some casual aspects. He, on the other hand, was wearing a leather jacket, blue button down, and a green shirt underneath. His jeans were ripped at the knees, showing his scars. Small bits of dried mud were at the bottom of his jeans and they were torn a little. That's what he had to deal with when living out of a car for long trips across the continental U.S.

His neighbor fit in with the rest of the bunch at the school, yet there was still something about the way he stared out the window that caught Dean's attention. "psst." Dean whispered. "Hey, Cas." His neighbor turned. Dean had only heard the first part of the guys name, so he stuck with it." As Castiel turned, Dean was taken back a little.

"My name is Castiel, not Cas." Dean got a look at his neighbor's face. His hair flipped around on the top of his head. It was a dark brown color, much different than Dean's dirty blonde hair. Dean gulped, looking into his neighbor's eyes. They were a mesmerizing, deep blue hue. Castiel blinked, cutting off Dean's concentration and then turned back towards the window. He watched the sky as a bird flew by the glass pane.

Dean watched Castiel for a few moments and then gave up. He had told Sam to not worry about fitting in, so why was he trying to make a friend? He shrugged away the anxiety he felt and laid his head on the desk. The monotonous tone of the teacher lulled him to sleep. It felt no more then a few minutes later when he felt a tap on on his shoulder.

"Wh-wha?" Dean bolted up. His first thought was to grab the knife that was stowed away inside his jacket, but he figured it would be bad to threaten some one with a knife in a school. Reality flooded back into his mind as he saw the person who had tapped him on the shoulder.

"Dean, the bell has rung." It was his neighbor, Castiel. He was standing there; the sunlight behind him cast a shadow on Dean. Castiel then walked away, carrying his books close to his chest.

Dean wiped the drool from his chin. He jumped up from his seat and followed the odd student out of the classroom. "Hey, Cas! Wait up!" Dean pocketed his hands into his jacket. He followed Castiel until he caught up with the guys pace. "So, what does a guy gotta do to get some action around here?" Dean asked, eyeing a few girls who were standing in the hallway. They twirled their hair with their fingers, watching the new guy walk down the hall.

"I do not know what you mean." Castiel answered, stopping at his locker to put his things away and grab new books for his next class. He then closed his locker, placing the lock back onto it. "And my name is _Castiel_."

"Sure, Cas." Dean flashed a smile. "So you seriously haven't checked out _any_ of the girls in this place?" Dean leaned against the locker next to Castiel's. Castiel shook his head, denying the accusations. Dean rolled his eyes. "Man, you need to get out more often." Dean went to give Castiel a friendly pat on the back, but the blue-eyed student avoided it skillfully.

"I get out enough." Castiel held his belongings in his arms, and gave Dean a sympathetic look. "Can I go now?" He asked, watching the hands tick away on the clock down the hall. "The next bell is going to ring soon, Dean. I do not want to be late for my next class." Castiel stood there, awkwardly swaying from one foot to the other. First right, then left, then right again. He looked anxious for something, like he was waiting for something to come blasting through the wall or something. "Dean?"

"Oh, yeas. Sure, Cas." Castiel nodded, quickly taking off down the hall towards his next class. Dean stood there until the hallways cleared out. He was bored with the place already. It felt like a prison to him. No doubt it felt the same to Sam. Dean paced the empty hallways until he came across the room Sam's schedule said he would be in. He peaked in through the small window in the door. Sam was sitting there, diligently taking notes. _That's good, Sammy. _Dean thought. He then turned and walked towards the exit of the school. He was done with the place for the day. They couldn't keep him there any longer than he wanted to stay.

Dean was so close to the doors that led outside when he was stopped. A firm hand on his shoulder prevented him from going any further. He turned and faced three students. Two girls stood there, one with short blonde hair, and another with long blonde hair. The third was a rough looking guy with deep-set eyes, like he hadn't slept in ages. Dean figured he was most likely the school druggie.

"Where is the new guy going?" Asked the girl with the short hair. She paced around Dean like he was some kind of prey for her to shred to pieces.

"I don't know. Maybe he doesn't like it here? Maybe he thinks he is too good for us." The longhaired girl walked past him, latching onto the guy in the group. The guy then spoke; he still had his hand on Dean's shoulder.

"Seems so." His grip tightened, leading Dean to scowl.

Dean shrugged off the rough grip and glared at the three students. "Yeah, what of it?" He asked, clenching his fists, ready to sock the thug in the face.

"The name's Luc." The guy smirked. Dean scowled back at him. He continued, "The name is short for Lucifer. These ladies right here are Ruby and Meg. He swung his arms around the girls' shoulders. "We were just wondering where you were going at this fine hour?" Lucifer stared down Dean with menacing, dark circled eyes.

"That's none of your business." Dean yanked at the bottom of his jacket, straightening the leather. "Now, if you would excuse me-" Dean pushed past them, reaching for the door. He pushed it open only an inch before Lucifer grabbed his shoulder again. That was it. Dean's fighting instincts had kicked in. He swiftly turned and gripped Lucifer's hand, bending his wrist back. Usually that move would bring someone to his or her knees, but Lucifer didn't so much as blink. "The hell?"

Lucifer smirked, pulling his arm away from Dean's grip. "Now that wasn't very nice." His arm made a full swing motion, pulling back, and then crashing forward with a fist into Dean's face. Dean only had a second to dodge, so his cheekbone received the front of the attack.

"Son of a bitch!" Dean rubbed his cheek. He caught his footing and was ready to fight back. He felt for his knife inside of his jacket. If it really came to it, he would risk getting kicked out of school. He knew he wasn't going to graduate anyways, so there was no point in following the rules.

"Come on, Dean." Ruby laughed, coaxing Dean to come close with a curling finger. "We just want to talk."

"Yeah, Dean." Meg walked past Dean, running her fingers across his chest. She stared him in the eyes and laughed. "Or maybe you're too scared of Luc." Her nails scratched over Dean's shirt. He took a step back, not liking her clawed touch. He glared at Lucifer, his heart pounding with adrenaline. His vision was blurring with anger.

"Why aren't you all in class?!" A teacher came booming down the hall. "Break it up! Break it up!" She waved her hand in the air, shooing Lucifer and his girls away. "Luc, get to class, and girls, get back to study hall. What have I told you about roaming the halls?" Lucifer, Meg, and Ruby scowled, walking off down the hall. Lucifer glanced back at Dean, smiling menacingly. Dean wasn't sure why they had chosen to circle him. He didn't exactly look like a helpless victim. He was sure he would have been able to take Lucifer down if push came to shove. The teacher stood in front of Dean, hands on her hips. "And you- Wait, who are you?" She asked, looking at the bruise that was forming on Dean's face. She took a step closer to Dean and pressed on it gently.

"Dean Winchester, Ma'am." Dean winced at her touch. Lucifer hit him hard and he could feel his skin bruising. "I'm fine." He pushed her hand away and stood awkwardly in front of her. He then thought up his story to tell her why he was wandering the halls. "I got lost on my way to class. I'm new here." He gave his best innocent smile. She fell for it instantly.

She grinned back at him and patted him on the back. "That's okay, Dean. Let's get you to the nurse's office to get you checked out." She grabbed the sleeve of his leather jacket and pulled him down the hallway. He couldn't protest. If leaving the school were a futile task, he would rather spend time in the nurse's office than in class. The teacher pulled Dean down the hall and eventually they made it to the small nurse's office. "She should be back any minute now. Just sit down and wait here." The teacher then left to continue her prowl of the hallways.

Dean stood awkwardly in the all too small room before taking a seat on the paper covered, medical mattress. He tapped his foot on the ground and stared at all the things in the room. There were many posters showing different parts of the body, and different treatments for ailments. Dean stretched his arms over his head, rolled his shoulders and situated himself into a laying position on the mattress. No more than a second later did the door to the office open. Dean shot up from the mattress and waited for the nurse to walk it. Though, it wasn't the nurse who walked in. It was Castiel. He was holding his nose, blood dripping down his fingers.

"Cas?" Dean stood up, racing over to Castiel and pulling him over to the mattress to sit him down. Castiel looked dizzy and confused. He stared at Dean with wide, blue eyes.

"_Dern?_" He sounded muffled from his bleeding nose. Castiel uncovered his nose and revealed how much blood was actually there. It dripped down from his nose and over his lips. It then dripped down his chin and splattered onto his white shirt. Dean quickly searched the room for some tissues. He grabbed a box and shoved them at Castiel. The box jumped in Castiel's hands until finally he got a hold of it. Castiel wiped up his face and shoved some tissues up his bleeding nose. "Dean, what are you doing here?" Dean then just pointed to the side of his face. It was red and swollen, starting to bruise. "Oh-" Castiel scooted over on the mattress and allowed Dean to sit next to him. "Where is the nurse?"

Dean took the seat and held his head in his palms. A headache was starting in his skull. He was going to get back at Lucifer for punching him in the face. Actually, he was just going to get back at him for being an ass hole in general. "Some teacher said the nurse would be right back." He rubbed his temples, trying to get rid of the headache. Castiel gave him a sympathetic look and wiped his face again. The blood had ceased to pour from his nostrils. "What happened to you?"

Castiel pulled away the blood-covered tissue. "I get these all the time." Dean reached over for the garbage and held it in front of Castiel. Castiel then threw the wad into the garbage. "I am not sure as to why." Dean gave Castiel the '_oh'_ face and remained silent, watching the small drops of blood on Castiel's shirt dry.

Soon the nurse entered the room, surprised to see that she had two students in her office. Two students that looked like they had beaten each other up, which wasn't the case, but it still looked like that. She checked out Dean's face and gave him some medicine to help with the headache. She offered to call his father to pick him up, but Dean refused the call and said he would rather just go back to class. He didn't have the option of staying in the nurse's office, so he was stuck with going back to the prison of a classroom. As he left the small room he looked back a Castiel, who was being checked out by the nurse. The blood on his shirt reminded Dean of all the demons he killed and the people he couldn't save. It haunted him as he walked away.

Shaking away the feelings that had crept up on him, Dean shut the door to the room and checked his schedule. "Gym." He gave a little grin, happy that the class had nothing to do with academics. He was good in gym. His father kept him in shape, making sure he had the reflexes and strength to take down demons and other monsters. Dean looked down each side of the hallway. He chose a direction and took it. He didn't care if he made it there on time. He had already missed the second period of the class day. The first period he slept through. What was being late to another class?

Dean found himself at the gymnasium soon enough. Students were just coming out from the locker rooms in their gym clothes. Dean pulled off his jacket and button down shirt. He tucked his pendant necklace inside the garment and set his things down on the pulled out bleachers. He walked over to the gym teacher. The man was wearing work out clothes, although he didn't look all too fit. "Hey, Teach-" Dean began to say. The gym teacher scowled at him, looking at Dean's clothes.

"Not prepared, I see?" He scoffed. He then took his whistle in his mouth and blew it loud. The noise pierced Dean's ears and rang throughout his head. If his headache was getting better from the medicine, that whistle killed the effects. "Roll call!" he blew the whistle again, jabbing a finger at the line of students. Dean walked over to the line, rubbing his temples in the process and cursing at the fat man.

A few names caught Dean's attention, one being Lucifer's. "Luc Asher." Dean looked down the line at Lucifer, who flashed a grin back at Dean. The next name after that was even more interesting. "Castiel Asher." Dean was happy that Castiel was in his gym class; although he wasn't so sure how good the weird guy would be at sports. Dean was also interested in the fact that Castiel and Lucifer had the same last name. _Asher…_ _Luc Asher and Castiel Asher. Brothers?_

"Dean Winchester." Dean was still lost in thought; the teacher walked up to him and blew his whistle right in Dean's ear. He jumped at the whistle and then the teacher's booming voice brought him back to reality, "Dean WINCHESTER!"

"Yeah, man. I'm here. No need to get your panties in a bunch." Dean plugged his ear with a finger and tried to bring his eardrum back to life. It was futile, the ringing continued for a few minutes.

It turned out that they were playing dodge ball that day. Dean was okay with that. He needed to relieve some stress. They picked teams; Lucifer ended up being one of the team captains. He made sure to pick all the hulky guys in the class. Dean, not being particularly buff, but agile, was picked for the other team. He was glad he was on the opposite team as Lucifer. He was going to take all his stress out on the prick. It was going to be a good game of old-fashioned dodge ball.

Throughout the class, Dean smashed the ball into a couple monstrous guys. They tried getting him back, but with the training that Dean's father put him through; there was no chance in hell that they would land a hit on him. Soon it was down to a few guys on Dean's team and then Lucifer and another player on his side. A ball rolled to Dean's feet, he quickly picked it up while dodging a hit from the other side. He whipped the ball right at Lucifer. The path of the ball was going to hit Lucifer smack in the middle of his gut. Dean smirked, glaring at Lucifer as the ball hit. Dean raised his arms in the air and shouted in victory. He took a half turn while shouting, "Take that you son of a-" He shut up quickly when he saw Castiel standing on the sidelines. The dried blood was still on his shirt. Dean was lost for a moment, but soon brought back to reality when a ball came hurdling towards him, smacking him right in the side.

Dean buckled, coughing from the ball knocking the wind out of him. He cursed loudly, stomping over to the sideline. He watched as all the people he had gotten out on the other team, shout and race back into the game. The brute force of Lucifer's team soon demolished his team. The gym teacher blew his whistle, sounding the end of the game. Dean grabbed his extra layers of clothes and put them back on. He then walked over to Castiel. "Looks like we are in the same third period, Cas." Castiel nodded. Dean watching him as his eyes flickered over to Lucifer. Dean knew there was a connection between the two. "That's your brother, isn't it?"

"He's the one who gave you this, right?" Castiel touched Dean's swollen cheek lightly. Dean suddenly felt a jolt of electricity run through him. The pain in his face stopped immediately. Castiel quickly took his hand away and pocketed it into his jeans.

"Yeah, how'd you know?" Dean rubbed his cheek, not feeling any pain that had once been there. He shifted his eyes with uncertainty. There was no way that Castiel's touch magically made his pain go away… Was there?

"My brother… He has gotten into many troubles…" Castiel took his eyes away from Lucifer and stared at the ground. He then brought his sight back to Dean. "How is your face?" He asked, tilting his head in question.

"It- It's fine." Dean looked at Castiel in question. _Who is this guy?_ They stood there in silence, looking away from each other. Dean was worried that if he stared at Castiel too long he might see some flaw in the guy. Castiel looked away because he knew Dean was questioning him.

"I must go." Castiel started to walk away, out of the gymnasium. Dean watched Castiel's back get farther and farther away. Suddenly the lights in the gymnasium flickered. One light shattered, letting out a luminous spark, brightening the whole gym. Dean thought his eyes were playing tricks on him. He could have sworn that the shadow Castiel made on the walls had large wings. It was only for a second that the broken light lit up the gym. It had to have been something else that made the shadow. The commotion in the gym settled down after the bell rang and everyone moved onto his or her next class. Dean followed, loosing Castiel in the crowd of students in the hallway.

_Cas, what are you?_


	2. An Unusual Being

**Chapter 2: An Unusual Being**

It was quite the miracle that Dean made it to his next class on time. The warning bell rang as he took his seat near the back corner. He enjoyed the desk he chose. It reminded him of his first class where Castiel stared out the window. Dean wondered what Castiel had been looking at. There was nothing special about the sky that day. There were no storms brewing off in the distance, no wispy clouds covering patches of the sky. It was just a normal, fall day. Dean shook his head. He quickly realized that he too had been staring off into the distance. He shook his head again and turned his attention to the teacher at the front of the class. It was the same woman who had broke up his fight with Lucifer. She gave his a sweet smile and motioned to the side of her face. Dean knew she was asking how his face was, so he gave a quick thumbs up. She nodded and proceeded with attendance.

Dean found himself slowly drifting off during the lesson that ensued throughout the class time. To keep himself awake, he impatiently tapped his fingers on the desk. His leg also jumped up and down underneath the desk. His eyes flickered towards the clock near the door. The clock's hands ticked by slowly, Dean watched every second the red, clock hand moved around its circular path. Once it was near the end of the class and the teacher gave some free time to the students, Dean got up and asked to leave early because "_he didn't feel good."_ The teacher, being the nice woman she was, let him go. Dean didn't give it a second though; he sped out of that prison box. Of course he felt fine, which was weird since he had been socked in the face. Though ever since Castiel pressed on the injury, the pain melted away. Dean knew something was up and he was going to figure out what it was. "One more class period until lunch. I can ask him there."

"Ask who, what?" Dean stopped in his tracks. There was no one in the hall before he blinked and now someone was asking him a question of what he had just said to himself. The voice was familiar, causing Dean to sigh in relief.

"Sammy, you're getting better at sneaking up on people. Nice job, kid." Dean smiled at his little brother, walking over to him and patting him on the shoulder. "How's this hell hole treating you?" He asked, genuinely worried about his brother getting accustomed to the new school. "Meet any hot girls?" Dean nudged Sam's shoulder, winking in his direction. They started to walk with each other down the hall; Dean swung his arm around Sam's shoulders.

"Dean, is that all you think about?" Sam walked a little faster, getting out form underneath Dean's hold. Sam looked at Dean's swollen face and sighed. He knew his brother couldn't resist fighting. "-And you never answered my question, Dean." They both stopped when the bell rang. Students began to flood the halls, surrounding the Winchester brothers. Dean was glad that the bell interrupted the conversation he was having with Sammy. Dean didn't want to be seen as a hypocrite. He was the older brother; he had to make a good impression on Sam. Not lie to his brother, telling him not to make friends because it wasn't worth it, and then be seen talking to and hanging out with some guy from his class.

"Sorry, Sammy!" Dean yelled with a raspy voice as he was walking further into the crowd of students. "School, you know how it works." Dean shrugged and disappeared into the mass of commoners. Sam just sighed and turned away from Dean's direction to head off to his next class also. He was so busy trying to figure out what was up with Dean that he ran straight into someone. Someone that was a lot bigger than him and clearly an upper classman. Sam staggered backwards and dropped his bag that had been hanging off one shoulder.

"Watch it, Bambi." Sam held his head low and picked up his bag, throwing it back over his shoulder. He was going to apologize before the guy called him Bambi, but when things were all said and done, Sam just glared at the guy. He stood there defiantly, blocking the path of the aggressor. Staring down at him, from a considerable distance above Sam, was Lucifer. Sam continued to glare. "What are you looking at, Bambi?" Lucifer crossed his arms over his chest. Students stopped and witnessed the small conflict. Sam hadn't quite hit his teenage growth spurt yet. He was a shrimp next to the upper classman, but he held up his end.

"Well, I guess I am looking at your ugly face." Sam's heart was racing; Dean wasn't there to back him up. _I can do this._ He told himself over and over again in his head. _I can do this. This guy is just a jerk._ Sam adjusted his bag on his shoulder and continued to stare down Lucifer.

More students were crowding around, some with frightened looks on their faces, some laughing at Sam's apparent stupidity, and some whistling for a fight to break out. One student with dark hair and blue eyes stepped out from the crowd and held his hands up to Lucifer. "Luc, you must stop this harmful activity." The crowd around them slowly dispersed, leaving Sam confused as to who was standing between him and Lucifer. Lucifer scowled and walked away; huffing with each step he took down the hall. Sam sighed with relief, loosening his tense shoulders. He had survived his first conflict at school.

"Thanks- Uh…" Sam didn't know the guy. Hell, Sam didn't know anyone at the school. He never bothered to remember anyone's name. After all, Dean had told him not to worry about fitting in. It wasn't worth it. Soon they would be out of this school, on the road again, hunting down demons, and then thrown into another school when their father didn't want them with him again. It was the same cycle over and over again. Sam wondered why his father never just put his brother and him into a boarding school. Things would have been a lot easier that way.

"My name is Castiel." Castiel stood there, not offering his hand or anything. He just stood there and stared at Sam with his deep, blue eyes. "You are Sam Winchester, are you not?" Sam nodded, confused as to how Castiel had known his name. Castiel just continued to talk. "I am sorry for my brother's actions. He can be… quite temperamental." Castiel glanced behind him, making sure Lucifer was clear out of range. "You see, he is mad at our father, and takes his frustrations out on…" Castiel's words trailed off near the end. Sam could have sworn he head Castiel say '_humans,'_ but he knew his ears had to have been tricking him.

"Oh, okay. It's fine." Sam began to walk away; this Castel character was just a little too weird for him. "Thanks." He walked away down the hall, only glancing back a second later to see that Castiel was no longer there. He had disappeared without a trace. There were no students left in the hall at all. St. Michael's High School bothered Sam. He wasn't sure what was going on exactly, but something was up and he needed to talk with Dean about it.

Surprisingly, there weren't any more encounters the next class period. Sam continued to take notes and pay attention to the lesson given. Dean snored in the back of the class, not caring about anything the teacher had to say. Everything was normal for once, other than the fact that both brothers were confused about one particular student, Castiel.

Lunchtime came around for the students at St. Michael's High School The next class period. Dean sat at an empty table in the cafeteria. No one even thought of sitting with him. News spread around the school that the Winchesters were bad news. Dean even heard of his brother standing up to Luc. When he heard the news, at first, he was furious that Luc had tried to start something with his younger brother. Then when he heard the rest of the story, hearing about how Sam stood up to the jerk, he was proud of the kid. Dean popped open the tab on his soda can and took a large gulp. When he was finished, he crushed the can and threw it at the trash bin that was a few tables away form him. It hit the rim of the bin and bounced to the ground. Dean cursed at his terrible aim. He stood up, straightened his jacket and walked over to pick the can up. Though, someone made it to the can before he did. Yet again, it was Castiel. He leaned over, grabbed the crushed can, and placed it in the trash. "Hey, Cas." Dean greeted Castiel, raising his hand in a small wave.

"Hello, Dean." The blue-eyed student said, before even turning towards him. His face was stoic as he stared at Dean. "I see you are still here. I thought maybe your head injury would have caused you to leave the school." Castiel gave Dean a questioning look. His eyebrows were lowered and his eyes were shadowed. His hand fidgeted at his side. Dean got the feeling that Castiel was, again, waiting for something to come blasting through the wall. "I must go." He suddenly said, turning on his feet and starting to quickly walk away.

"Wait, I-" Dean almost got a hold of Castiel's sleeve, but he was too slow and Castiel was already too far away. _Damn that guy walks fast. I just need to get him to sit still and ask him what the hell is going on around here._ Dean scowled, turning back towards his table. He smiled when he saw that his brother was sitting there, waiting for him to walk back. When Dean got a little closer to the table, he noticed Sam giving him a funny look. "What's up, Sammy?"

Sam took a large bite out of his sandwich. He swallowed then gave Dean a stern look. "That guy has something off about him, Dean. Why were you talking to him?" Dean was taken back. He had no clue how Sam knew Castiel. He was also intrigued to know that Sam also felt that something was up with Castiel. "Dean?" Dean stayed silent. He took the seat next to his brother, pushed the chair back and lifted his feet to the table.

"Just eat your lunch, Sammy." Sam was about to protest when a group of students walked up to the table. One of which he knew all too well. He frantically looked over to Dean, who was scowling at the guy in the center of the group. There were two girls there at the guy's side. Sam didn't know them, but he knew Dean had met them already. The look that his older brother gave the group matched that of the face he would give to a demon or monster.

"Well, well, looks like we have a couple of Winchesters enjoying their lunch." Lucifer was standing opposite from Dean, casting his shadow onto the table. Sam saw, just for a second, a second shadow within Lucifer's. It was a pair of wings. Before he could get a second look, Lucifer pulled out a chair and sat down. The shadow disappeared. "Mind if we sit?" Lucifer asked, tapping his dirtied fingers on the table. Sam's heart was racing; he pushed back in his seat just a small amount. Lucifer caught that slight movement and smiled. "What's the matter, Bambi?"

Dean kicked off from the table, standing up defiantly. Sam pushed back his seat and stood next to his brother. "Listen, Luc. I don't know what crawled up your ass and died, but you don't want to mess with us." Lucifer threw his head back with laughter. He bared his teeth towards the brothers, pulling Meg and Ruby closer to his sides. Dean grabbed Sam by his coat collar and yanked him away from the table. "Come on, Sammy." They walked away from the table, leaving Sam's lunch sitting there. Dean watched Lucifer glare back at him as they walked out of the cafeteria. Dean then saw Castiel walk up to the table and stand in front of Lucifer. He couldn't hear what they were saying to each other, but Lucifer seemed to listen to Castiel, leading Dean to wonder who was the older brother.

Dean knew that he and Sam were okay when they made it down the hall. Sam was struggling to walk with Dean gripping hard on the back of his collar on his coat. "Dean! Dean, let go!" Sam wriggled in his coat before getting his arms out of the sleeves and pulling out of the coat backwards. "Dean, what is going on!?" Dean stopped in his tracks, and looked back at Sam. He held the coat in his hand, loosening his grip and letting it drop to the ground.

"We're getting out of here, that's what is going on." Dean leaned over, picking the coat up from the ground and throwing it over to Sam. "Come on, let's go." Dean was about to exit from the doors leading outside the school, when again he was stopped. Although this time he wasn't stopped by Lucifer. A painful ringing in his head stopped him. He clamped his hands over his ears, hoping to block out the noise, but it just got louder. Cringing, he looked for Sam, his knees trembling beneath him. "Sam, are you hearing this?" Sam was quickly walking towards him, a worried look on his face. Dean clenched his teeth together. The ringing was a million times worse than when the gym teacher blew the whistle in his ear. His knees finally gave out on him; his body went crumbling to the floor. "Sammy, what the hell is that?" Dean looked up at his brother, who had taken him by the shoulders and shook him.

"…" Dean couldn't hear anything other than the blasting ring. He saw his brother's lips move, but utter no words. Sam yelled again, his expression getting more and more worried. He shook Dean roughly. "…n! …an! ...ean! Dean!" The ringing lowered down to a continuous hum. Dean pulled his hands away from his ears. The phenomena had ceased altogether. "Dean, what's wrong?" Sam asked, helping his brother to his feet.

Dean patted the dirt and dust from his pants while looking around the hallway confused as hell. He grabbed Sam by his shirt and pulled him out of the school. They were on the pavement in front of the school before Dean spoke. "You didn't hear that at all?" He let go of Sam's shirt and plugged his ear with his finger. _Good, my eardrums are still in tact._ Dean blinked hard, rubbing his face. Sam gave him a questioning look. "That ringing, Sammy! That damn ringing!"

Sam just shook his head and raised an eyebrow at his brother. "Dean, the hallway was completely silent. All that happened was you falling to your knees and covering your ears. Are you okay?" Sam pulled his arms through his coat sleeves. The autumn air was chilly on his skin. A few orange and red leaves floated through the air around the brothers. They stood there in silence for a moment until Dean shuddered and walked off.

"I'm fine. Let's just get out of here." Dean flipped up the collar of his leather jacket to protect his neck from the cold wind. He stopped a moment to let his brother catch up with him. Once they were within pace with each other, they walked off school grounds, forgetting about the rest of the school day. Dean didn't care about the classes, and Sam frankly, was worried about his brother. Before they out of seeing range of the school, Dean felt a chill run down his spine. He slowed down and looked back at the school. Sam continued to walk, not noticing his brother's lowered pace. Dean squinted at the school windows. On the second floor was a person staring back at them. Dean's green eyes widened when he noticed the familiar outfit and features.

Castiel stood on the second floor of the building, staring out the window at the brothers. They were far away, but he could see every expression. He saw Dean squint at the school, then glare at his presence in the window. Castiel turned swiftly on his feet, walking down the hall to make his presence less known to Dean. He had failed speaking with Dean in his true voice. Castiel took a deep breath and continued down the hall. "Dean Winchester needs faith." He said to himself in a low tone.

"Dean isn't the right person for you, sorry Castiel." Lucifer walked out of the shadows of the hallway. Castiel kept walking and ignored his unruly brother. Lucifer gave a wicked grin and followed his younger brother down the hall. "I mean, you said it yourself. He needs faith. Sadly, his lifestyle won't allow it." Lucifer scratched at his forehead. Small flakes of skin peeled off. He ran his fingers over the damaged area, instantly regenerating the skin. "Damn, this vessel is going to break down sooner than I had thought."

"How would you know about Dean's lifestyle?" Castiel snapped back at Lucifer. They stood in the hall, facing each other. Lucifer's grin widened, while Castiel's forehead wrinkled in slight anger.

"I have my own interests in the Winchesters." Lucifer twirled a finger in the air, pacing Castiel in a circular motion. "Especially the younger one, Sam." He chuckled, loving the expression Castiel was giving. It was a mixture of confusion and anger.

Castiel took a step towards Lucifer. The immense pressure between them rose higher. Lucifer's eyes glowed hot while Castiel's blue eyes iced over. "You will leave the Winchester's alone. Father would be angry if you interrupt his plans for them." The air around them crackled with energy. The light above them flickered.

"We will see about that, Castiel." Lucifer laughed louder, walking away from his brother. The light above them flickered once more and then went dark. Castiel stood in the shadow of the hallway. The sound of Lucifer's laughs echoed off the walls.

"Father will not be happy with this at all." Castiel disappeared with the fluttering sound of wings.


	3. Lucifer's Vessel

**Chapter 3: Lucifer's Vessel**

The rest of the day passed by in a blur for the Winchester brothers. It went by more quickly for Dean than it did for Sam. Poor Sam had his mind twisted and turned around inside his skull so bad, that he had started to feel a headache coming on. _My brother has finally lost it._ Sam thought. That was his final conclusion. Everything was extremely confusing at that time, and to add to it all, Dean was constantly pacing around the motel room. Sam just couldn't take it. Each step reverberated in his head, strengthening his headache.

"Dean, can you just sit down, please?" Sam asked, shoving his face into the pillows on his bed. He squished a pillow around his head, hoping for the pain to pass. It soon dulled down to a slight throb. Dean obliged to Sam's request, let out an exasperated groan, and sat down on the creaky bed. Sam pulled his face from the pillow. "You know, the school isn't going to be to happy with us for skipping out."

"I know." Dean answered, rubbing his head again. The pain from Lucifer's hit had started up again. _Looks like it wore off. _Dean thought, pulling his fingers away from he swollen area.

"On the first day." Sam added.

"I know, Sam." Dean said a little more sternly. Sam sat up on the bed and hung his legs off the side. He stared at Dean for a while. He knew his brother was deep in thought based on his expression. It was true. Dean _was_ thinking. Not just about leaving school early and the consequences that were sure to follow. He was thinking about the fight he had with Lucifer. The impending doom feeling he got in that school. The sharp ringing that pierced his ears. He was thinking about it all, but mostly, he was thinking about Cas.

_Those blue eyes, that awkward stare, his forgiving attitude. _Dean bit his bottom lip. Not sure if his thoughts of Cas were normal, and that the guy's aura spread to others, not just Dean.

"Dean!" Dean broke his train of thought, his blank eyes gained life and he turned his attention to his brother.

"What is it?" He asked.

"What is going on with you?" Sam stood up from the bed. He threw his arms to his sides. "You have been acting strange since we got here. I know you got into a fight with Luc- I did too- but we shouldn't have left school because of it. The guy is just a jerk." Sam loosened up a bit after getting some of his thoughts out. He just wanted things to go back to normal. Even better, he wanted his life to be normal.

"It's not about that guy. It's that school." Dean rubbed his forehead. "I think we need to do some research on the place, Sammy." That was how the hunts usually started out. Go to the place where everything is messed up, do some research, kills some monsters, then leave. It was always the same.

"No we don't, Dean!" Sam was tired of it all. "Maybe there is nothing wrong with that school. Maybe it's just our life that's wrong, and everything that is normal to everyone else is just off to us now. Have you ever thought of that?"

Dean stood, towering over his younger brother. His deep, green eyes dug seep into Sam's skin. "Sam, this is the family business. There is no way to get out of it." He took in a deep breath. He was just frustrated with everything around him, and he hadn't even been in town for more than a day.

Sam bit his lip, on the verge of just saying everything that was on his mind, and how he wished he never had found his dad's monster book all those years ago. He wished he didn't know anything about a hunter's life. A hunter's life was hard, especially on a teenager. He didn't know how Dean was doing it. Sam turned on his heels and pushed past Dean, heading for the door. He needed air, fresh air. He needed to get out.

"Sammy, where are you going?" Dean stood still, watching his rebellious, younger brother slam the door to the motel behind him. "Great." Dean yanked at the hem of his leather jacket. He rolled his head to the side, cracking his neck to relieve some pent up stress. The he made sure he and the motel keys on him before he followed Sam out the door.

Sam was heading off towards the road. He was already a good ways away from the motel room. Dean was surprised at how much his brother wanted to get away. He upped his pace a little to race up to Sam. Sam glanced back, fixed his bag on his shoulder and huffed. "Stop following me Dean!" He yelled into the air, continuing his journey towards the road.

"Sam, where are you going?" Dean picked up his footing even more. There was no telling what was out there in the world. He couldn't leave Sam on his own, even though Sam did know a hunter trick or two. Dean didn't care if Sam had experience with anything in the world. He was Dean's responsibility. Dean had to take care of him. "Sam!"

Sam stopped dead in his tracks. He turned sharply and glared back at his brother. " I am going back to school! You may have a problem with the world, Dean, but I'm at least trying to be normal." Sam then started to walk off, quickly stepping it up to a quick pace. He got to the road when he stopped, looked both ways, and then crossed the black ground. Dean wasn't far behind him, but was stopped by the rush of traffic on the street. He watched Sam walk in the direction of the school through the passing cars. He soon lost sight of him and decided to give his brother some space.

"What an awesome, big brother I am." Dean kicked his boots in the dirt on the side of the road. He was going to have to give Sam a little time. He knew his brother always kept a knife hidden away on him at all times. It was just something that they and their father did to protect themselves when everything seemed a little too normal. _Sammy will be okay, I think._ Dean sighed loudly, walking down the sidewalk towards the town library. He still wanted to do some research on the town they were in. Sadly, his father hadn't left him any information. Probably because he had already done a thorough check on the town he was leaving his children in.

If things were really like that, Dean wouldn't have to worry about it. But their father, John, had a tendency to leave his children in a place where eventually something Supernatural would occur. It was a type of training he gave his sons. He had to make sure they could last on their own when he wasn't around. A hunter life was dangerous; there was no telling when that life would end.

The cars on the road sped past Dean, whipping up the roadside leaves into Dean's face. He swatted them away, though one was determined to blind him by sticking to his face. Dean quickly ripped it from his face, throwing it back into the air. It flew off into the distance, carried by the wind. He pulled his jacket close. The wind's speed had kicked up a notch, sending chills throughout Dean's body. He crunched his eyes shut to keep small bits of dirt from getting in. "Looks like going to the library wasn't such a good idea. I hate these places that have seasons." Dean was about to turn around when he heard the trees by him on the roadside creak and then snap. Dean jumped at the sound, he stared above him; a branch from the large tree overhead was falling fast.

"Oh shit!" Dean was frozen. He told his legs to move. His hunter reflexes failed him. The branch was going to hit. It was going to hurt. Dean yelled at his legs to move, for his body to move, for his heart to stop pounding, for his fists to stop shaking. Anything. He felt the tip of the branch hit. That was when he was yanked backwards and then he toppled to the ground. The branch crashed and splintered on the concrete pavement before him.

Dean sat up from the ground. He looked at the mess in front of him, and then looked up at the person standing next to him. A long, tan trench coat flapped in the wind. Dean was relieved that he wasn't killed by something as simple as a falling branch, but he was infuriated at who pulled him away. "Hello, Dean." The person in the tan trench coat answered Dean's death glare. He offered his hand to help Dean from the ground, but Dean smacked it away. He quickly got to his feet.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Dean asked roughly, grabbing Castiel by his collar and yanking him up roughly. He glared at the student who had been so strange, always everywhere, and always in Dean's business. Dean gripped tighter at Castiel's collar. It would have been choking any one else, but somehow Castiel was unaffected. He just stared back at Dean with a straight face, blue eyes frozen over.

"Are you following me?" Dean asked, roughly yanking at Castiel's collar again. So much so that Castiel was on the tips of his toes. "Are you?"

"I was on my way home." Castiel explained. His breathe tickled at Dean's nose. Dean shook his head to rid his mind of its sweet smell. His grip loosened and Castiel fell back down onto flat feet. He didn't even bother to straighten his messed up collar when Dean let him go entirely. "I believe I just saved you too." Dean saw Castiel's eyes flick across the road then back at him. Lucifer was standing off in the distance across the road from them. When Dean looked, he was gone. He then returned his attention to Castiel.

"School isn't even out yet." Before Dean could say anything else, Castiel spoke again.

"You are absent from school also, are you not? Why does my presence outside of the school grounds confuse you?" Castiel cocked his head to the side. He just stared at Dean with his brow furrowed. Castiel was just as confused about Dean then Dean was about him. They were stuck at a stage that Castiel didn't want to cross. He did not want to push Dean too far and reveal everything in an untimely manner. Castiel knew that things would come to light soon enough. That much was sure. His brother, Lucifer, would guarantee it. He was causing problems with the Winchester brothers already. His latest attempt to hurt Dean Winchester was proof of that.

Dean was speechless. The wind picked up around them, whipping leaves into the air again. Castiel's hair was flipped up in a frenzy. He wasn't sure what to say back to the guy. Everything that day had been weird. When the wind died down, Castiel's eyes widened ever so slightly. "Where is your brother?" He didn't wait for an answer. He turned his whole body towards the direction of the school that was out of sight for Dean, but completely visible to Castiel's eyes. He could see Sam standing in the courtyard in front of the school's entrance. He then saw Lucifer.

"What do you care where my brother is?" Dean asked, roughly grabbing Castiel's shoulder. When it came to his brother, Dean was entitled to a little irrational behavior. After all, Sam was his responsibility.

"I must go." Castiel swiftly detached himself from Dean's grip. He began to briskly walk off in the direction of the school. He was merely a few feet away when he witnessed Lucifer grab Sam by the collar of his coat off in the distance. Castiel had to get there fast. He was sure that Lucifer's plan with the younger Winchester brother was to inhabit him as a new vessel. Stomping footsteps came up behind Castiel and strong hands clung tight to the fabric of his trench coat.

"You aren't going anywhere until you tell me just what the hell is going on?!" Dean raised his clenched fist high, ready to land one right in Castiel's face. Castiel just gave him a stern look and then took a deep breath. He raised his own hand, two fingers out and pressed them against Dean's forehead. The sharp ringing noise returned and everything in Dean's world went white.

Castiel held Dean up, keeping him from falling to the ground in a heap. Castiel took a deep breath and closed his eyes. A warm power filled his body and he thought of where he wanted Dean to be for the time being. Just then, Castiel opened his eyes and found himself inside the Winchester's room at the motel they resided. He pulled Dean over to one of the beds. Laying him down, he apologized sincerely, and then he disappeared from the room in a split second. A breeze of wind circled the room, carrying a single black feather over to Dean. It floated down and rested on his chest.

Sam let out a gasp when his collar choked him from behind. He was only on his way back to school. He figured the worst that would happen would be the school authorities yelling at him for skipping out. He didn't expect anything that had happened within the next few moments. He pulled at his collar, hoping that the force he used to pull it forward would out match the force that was choking him. "Let go." He said, quickly turning, breaking the grip of the person preventing him from breathing.

Sam stood strong a few feet from the attacker. He fisted his hands at his sides. Once he caught his breath he got a good look at the person who grabbed him. "Luc?" There he stood, menacingly staring at his prey. Sam took a step back. There was something about the older guy that he didn't like. "What do you want?" Sam asked, feeling for the knife in his pants pocket. Lucifer took a step closer to Sam; his eyes flickered to a deep, golden color.

"It's not something I want from you." Lucifer could feel his skin cracking on his forehead. The flake of flesh fell, drifting towards his shoulders and sticking to his black shirt. "It's more like something I need you to say, Sam." Lucifer's words sent chills down Sam's spine. He was frozen. He couldn't move. The way Lucifer said his name stole the air from his lungs. Sam's lips trembled as air escaped him. His legs shook when Lucifer finally got close enough to touch Sam's cheek with hand. "I need you…" Lucifer leaned close. "To say _yes_." The end of his words trailed off like a snake. Sam's vision blurred at the edges. He had never felt this way around anything. Not around any monster, nor any demon.

"Just let me go." Sam's voice shook. An overwhelming feeling to puke came over him. As soon as Lucifer took his hand away from Sam's cheek, it felt like everything around him dropped. His head spun and he fell forward into Lucifer's awaiting arms. He bared his teeth in a menacing grin. Just when he was going to get out of there, go somewhere where no one would find them, complete his plan, Castiel appeared before him. The ends of his tan trench coat flipped into the air. A swirl of air formed around the three. It created a vortex of power, shielding the outside world from the two brother's powers.

"Lucifer, brother, stop this. You know father does not allow us to treat humans like this. A vessel must be willing. You cannot have Sam Winchester." Castiel stalked towards Lucifer. From the sleeve of his coat, came out a shining, silver blade. Castiel gripped it tight and continued his strides towards his brother. "Sam Winchester must be willing and understand what would happen to him as well. Brother, you must not hurt him or I will be forced to stop you."

Lucifer let out a loud laugh. He threw Sam to the ground. Castiel could hear the cracking of a few bones in Sam's arm. He was glad that the boy was passed out; at least he wouldn't have to feel the pain for the time being. Lucifer's laugh continued. He smirked, walking over to Castiel. "Since when-" He swiftly struck Castiel's blade from his hand. "-Have I ever cared about what Father thinks?" It hit the ground hard, cracking the pavement of the courtyard. Lucifer then threw a fist upward, clocking Castiel in the jaw. Castiel staggered backwards, spitting blood from his mouth. "Really, Castiel. I could care less about that kid understanding what will happen to him." Lucifer threw another punch, this time Castiel dodged only by an inch. "I only care about one simple word he will eventually say." Lucifer growled towards Castiel.

He was so fast that the blue-eyed brother couldn't get out of there in time. Castiel choked on the blood that soon poured form his mouth. He looked down at the damage Lucifer had caused his body. There was a gaping hole in his chest. Blood was all over the pavement. Lucifer stood back, his arm covered in blood. In his hand he held a bloody, beating glob. "You have always had too much heart." Lucifer held Castiel's heart in his hand and then, in a theatrical way, he crushed it. Castiel fell forward, holding his chest. He knew it wouldn't kill him, but it would take him an extended amount of time to regenerate.

Lucifer snapped his fingers, instantly ridding the scene of blood. All that was left was the red liquid pouring from Castiel's chest. "I guess I can hold off for a while. I'll let you get to your feet again. Then I will be back." A crack of lightening and boom of thunder sounded above them. Lucifer disappeared in the bright light, leaving behind his brother and his awaiting vessel. Clouds filled the skies above them. Soon rain fell, drenching Castiel and Sam. Still holding his chest, Castiel dragged his bloody body over to Sam. He was sure he could accomplish one more feat that day before his vessel failed him. He fell face first onto the pavement, reaching over to Sam. His fingertips only touched Sam slightly, but it was enough to transport them both to the motel.

Dean had woken up in the motel in a daze. The large booms of thunder caused him to sit straight up on the bed he was in. The small black feather that was resting on his chest floated down to his lip. He looked around the room, wondering how he had gotten there. Looking down, he picked up the small feather. It wasn't like any bird feather he had ever seen before. He placed it down on the bed and touched his forehead. He remembered Castiel's cold fingers touching it gently. It was only Castiel. All he remembered was Cas- "Dammit Cas!" Just then, it was like the ceiling collapses and something fell through the dry wall, although there was no damage done to the ceiling itself. Dean shot up from the bed, confused as hell as to what had just happened. Once he cleared his thoughts, he found two figures sprawled on the floor in front of him. One of which was his brother, face down and still.

"Sam!" Dean launched himself over furniture to get to his brother. He had to get to Sam. He needed to know that his brother was okay. He kneeled next to him, his hands trembling in fear that his brother could have been- "Sam?" Dean pulled his brother to his lap, resting his head in the crook of his arm. Sam's hair was tossed in front of his eyes. Dean swiped away the stray hair and looked down at his brother. "Hey, Sammy…you need to wake up, kid." Dean was relieved when he saw Sam's eyelids twitch slightly and then his eyes opened wide. Sam yelped, grabbing his arm. He didn't remember hurting anything. He only remembered the sickening feeling in his gut when Lucifer spoke to him. Then nothing.

"Dean, I-" Dean carefully sat Sam upright, patting him down to check for injuries. "I think my arm is broken." Dean checked, pressing at the tender flesh of Sam's arm. He frowned when Sam whimpered at the touch and clenched his teeth. Dean knew his father was going to have his head for this. Dean checked Sam for any more injuries. The side of Sam's face, near his cheek, looked like it had been burned. After Dean was done checking on his little brother, her glanced over at the other body that fell to the floor from out of nowhere. The form was wearing a familiar tan trench coat.

"C-Cas?" Dean propped Sam against the side of the bed. He placed his hands in front of him to support his body weight over Cas. One hand was set in something warm and wet. He lifted it, noticing the familiar red liquid all too well. _Blood?_ It was pooling around Castiel. Dean's trembling hands grabbed Cas and carefully pushed him onto his back. "W-what the hell?" He was sure the guy was dead. No one could survive that kind of injury. He was sure that he was staring at the dead body of the only person he would have called a friend at his new school. "Cas?"

Dean's hands were still shaking. He tried to check the wound by moving the coat out of the way. There was so much blood. He grabbed the soaked edges of the coat, ready for the worst. A hand stopped him. It grabbed his wrist and pushed him away from the wound. "Ngh…He- Hello, Dean-" Castiel spit blood from his mouth. He cringed, as a soft white glow covered is body. Dean fell back; not believing what he was seeing. The glow concentrated on Castiel's chest. He soon sat up, gripping his chest. When he pulled his hand away from the blood soaked fabric, he revealed his bare chest underneath his shirt. There was no wound. "Sorry about this mess."


	4. Faith in the Hands of a Hunter

**Chapter 4: Faith in the Hands of a Hunter**

Castiel spread his palm over his chest. _I healed a lot quicker than I had imagined I would._ He could feel the strong organ inside his chest beating again. Relieved, he looked up towards the ceiling and closed his eyes in prayer. _Thank you, father. _His hands fell to his lap as he returned his attention to the penetrating, green eyes that belonged to Dean Winchester. For some reason, Castiel couldn't keep eye contact with the older Winchester brother. There was something bothering him in Dean's stare. "I was going to save my reasons until later when you have seen the way, but given the turn of events, I believe I owe you an explanation."

"Eh-" Dean couldn't find any words to say to the strange being in front of him. There was just no way. Castiel was dead. That amount of blood loss had to have killed him. "You- you're not human." Dean's eyes narrowed. Within a split second, he pulled the knife from inside his jacket and rammed it into Castiel's chest. If Cas wasn't human, he had to be a monster. Castiel's response to the blade in his chest confused Dean. A monster would have been in agony from the silver blade, Castiel was not. He looked almost bored. Dean pulled the blade from his chest and then started to recite as many words of Latin his father had taught him that he could remember. Again, Castiel was unaffected.

"I am no monster, nor demon from hell." Castiel stood tall; he towered over Dean who had fallen back against the floor. A strange air filled the room. It felt like everything was electrified. The lights around the room flickered. One shattered, sending sparks into the air. Dean watched at the shadow created by Castiel. Wings outstretched from Castiel's shadow. The room darkened as the rest of the lights shattered. "I am a warrior, sent here in behalf of my father to _'keep the Winchester boys safe'_" As the words came from Castiel's lips, he walked past Dean, towards Sam. "You could hear me earlier today? When I tried to reach Dean before you two left the school?" He was, of course, talking about the painful ringing that Dean had experienced earlier that day.

Sam nodded at Castiel. He gulped, "Yes."

Upon hearing Sam's response, Castiel leaned down and gently touched Sam's broken arm. Sam let out a light whimper. Dean could barely see him in the dark room, but he knew that Castiel was close to his brother due to Sam's small noise. "You stay away from him!" Dean lunged towards the bed, grabbing for the gun hidden beneath his pillow. His vision had become accustomed to the lack of light soon after. It only took him a second to aim and pull the trigger. The shot fired, hitting Castiel in the back. A few moments passed, but nothing happened. Castiel turned around, holding the bullet between his fingers. He gave Dean a disapproving look.

"Dean, stop it! He's a good guy!" Sam quickly stood up, running to his brother and smacking the gun from Dean's shaking hand. Dean was completely dazed and confused. "He's a good guy, Dean." Sam repeated. "Look, he healed my arm." Sam shook his previously broken arm in the air. "Look, Dean." Dean stared at Sam in disbelief. He gently took hold of Sam's arm, knowing that it had been broken in at least three places. He then turned his attention to Castiel, who was standing in the middle of he room, eyes focused on something the brother's couldn't see.

"I must go." Before either of the brothers could say anything or ask any questions, Castiel was gone. A gust of wind swept the room. The brothers shielded their eyes from the blast of air. When they were finally able to open them back up, the room was back to it's original state. There was no blood on the carpet, the beds were made, and the lights were repaired.

Sam let out a relieved sigh. "I can't believe it, but they actually exist." The younger Winchester brother sat down on the end of the bed. His eyes were shifting around and his tongue ran over his lips signaling that he was in major thought. Dean gave him a questioning look. Sam responded almost instantly. "Angels, Dean."

Dean shook his head. He let out a laugh. "There is no way Angels exist." His laugh became a nervous chuckle. He soon sat down next to Sam on the bed. He saw his gun on the floor before him, leaned over and picked it up. "There is just no way…" He pulled his jacket up and fixed the gun in the back of his jeans.

"Dean, how would you explain what he did?" Sam asked seriously.

"Maybe he's just some crazy, cleaning demon." Dean rubbed the back of his neck. He wasn't too sure of Sam's explanation for Castiel. There had to be another reason as to what he was. Angels didn't exist. They were like unicorns; no one had ever seen them in real life. There was just no way. Silver didn't work, incantations didn't work, and even a bullet couldn't put Castiel down. _There has to be another explanation._ _He must be some amped up demon or something, like the demon one that killed mom. _Dean was stuck for the moment. He was right about the town. There was definitely something wrong going on, and he needed to get Sam out of there.

Castiel walked out from the tree line into a clearing. In the clearing was a children's park. The park was usually bustling with kids at that time of day, but at the time Castiel stood there, it was completely silent. Only the wind blew across the play set, creaking the chains of the swings back and forth, back and forth. Castiel was drawn to the clearing because of the presence of his brother. It wasn't Lucifer like he had first thought, it was much worse. "Michael." Castiel said in a deep voice, turning around and facing a human he had never seen before. The vessel might've had differing features from the last time Castiel saw his brother, Michael, but he still could tell a celestial being from a mere human.

"Hello, my dearest younger brother. I hope you are doing well?" The words dripped from Michael's lips. "I had heard that you came to this town under father's orders?" Michael took a step closer to Castiel, placing a cold hand against his cheek. "I also heard that Lucifer followed you here?" Michael raised an eyebrow at his younger brother. It was as if he was giving Castiel a _now don't you lie to me_ expression. Castiel gulped down a knot in his throat. He nodded at Michael's question. Michael gave a little smirk. He patted his hand on Castiel's cheek before letting it fall to his side. His vessel's green eyes glinted in the sunlight that found it's way through the clouds. A feeling of energy filled the air around the brothers. "That should mean that our vessels are in town also. Interesting."

Castiel wanted to just disappear then, go back to the Winchesters and get them out of town. Though now that Michael knew that his and Lucifer's vessels were in town, there was no way he could get the brothers, or himself, out alive. "Oh, and by the way-" Michael pulled a shining silver blade from the inside of his coat. "You dropped this." He tossed it over to Castiel with ease. The blue-eyed being watched it balance it in his hands before shoving it back into his bloodied coat sleeve. When he turned his attention back to Michael, he was gone.

The storm clouds covered the sky once again. The swings behind Castiel swung slowly until an influx of children and parents crowded the area like it was like any other day. Castiel balance on the balls of his feet for a second, thinking of the mess he had caused when he revealed himself to the Winchester brothers. _They probably have a multitude of questions. I should go back._ He told himself before walking back into the tree line and disappearing.

He appeared just out of view from the motel room where Sam and Dean were staying. He cautiously approached the building when he realized that he had been walking around aimlessly covered in blood. Glancing down the front of his shirt, he patted it, and it was instantly rid of blood, as was his coat. He continued on his path towards the motel, specifically the door that led to the Winchester's room. He could have just appeared inside the room, but he thought that doing so would cause unnecessary panic. As he slowly approached the room, the door shot wide open and the two young brothers were carrying their belongings out, heading over to the payphone only a few feet away.

"Hurry up, Sammy." Dean ordered. He dropped his bags at his feet once he reached the phone. After playing with the buttons on the phone and cheating his way out of paying the charge to use it, he finally received a dial tone. He pushed in the correct numbers before looking back at Sam behind him. His eyes widened when he saw Castiel standing just beyond his brother, blankly staring with his mesmerizing blue eyes.

_The phone number you have reached it out of service. If this is incorrect…_

Dean dropped the phone; it hung by its metal, coated cord. "Sam!" Dean was about to grab his younger brother and yank him forward, away from Castiel, when Sam looked behind him and pushed Dean back. "Dean, its just Castiel! I think he's a good guy! Let's just hear him out." Sam fully turned towards Castiel and gave him a stern stare. His legs were shaking only slightly, but he stood as tall as he could. "What do you want?" He asked, readjusting his bags to carry them more comfortably.

"To keep you safe." Castiel said simply. His eyes shifted towards Dean. "To keep you both safe." Something warm ran through Castiel's body. He figured it had to have been a strange effect caused from being in a teenage vessel for too long. The body he was in couldn't withstand too much abuse, especially since Castiel knew that in the future, he would find this body again. He would like it if he had this body in tact when he returned to it in the future. Castiel rolled his shoulders to rid himself of the feeling that had overcome him, though he couldn't shake it. Dean stared back at him, his mossy, green eyes burning in thought. "You must have faith in me." He finally said, waiting for a response from the brothers.

Dean felt the truth behind Castiel's words. "Faith in a demon." Dean let out a little chuckle. Sam corrected him, reminding him that he believed that Castiel was an angel. Dean's face loosened. He was going to have to believe. He wasn't sure how things would turn out in the end, but he found that he trusted the 'angel' more than anyone else around town. "Okay, Cas."

Sam exchanged glances between his brother and Castiel. His lips twitched in a small smile before he adjusted his bags once more and headed for the motel room. "Might as well stay now, Dean. We've got a job." Dean watched as Sam walked off. He thought it was odd that his brother was actually happy about a job when he hated the hunter life, but when he watched Castiel follow Sam, his thoughts vanished. Each step Castiel took, his tan trench coat swayed behind him. Dean traced Castiel's footsteps to the room without thinking twice about it.

The two brothers sat down on the edge of the motel room bed. Castiel stood before them. There was a short silence before Dean dove right in. "So, what are you?" He asked, ready to be hit with the truth. He didn't like it, but recalling the time in the gym, and the most recent event, where he saw an extra shadow of wings attached to Castiel, he had to believe things for what they were. He gulped down the knot in his throat, staring at Castiel, waiting for everything to spill.

Castiel began with his explanation. He felt a bead of sweat fall down the side of his face. The way that Dean watched him made his nerves go haywire. He wasn't sure as to why a mere human had such power over him. "I am an angel of the lord. I was sent here by my father-"

"You mean God?" Dean asked bluntly. He laughed in a mocking way. Castiel just stared and waited for the fit of laughter to be over. Sam glared at his brother.

Castiel then continued. "I was sent here by my father to protect you two, Sam and Dean Winchester." He watched the brothers' expressions change from intrigue to confusion. Dean stayed silent, thinking over everything. He still wasn't at the point where he fully believed Castiel. His father always told him not to trust anything that wasn't human. Even angels, if they even existed.

Sam was the one who spoke next. "Protect us from what?" Castiel stood silent, waiting for the answer to come to Sam on its own. Sam's deep green eyes shifted to look at his lap. He grabbed his previously broken arm, and then rubbed his semi- burned cheek. "You need to protect us from your brother." Sam looked over at Dean. His brother's face had hardened at the realization. He didn't like Lucifer before; he certainly didn't like him then. "His name…." Sam knew the next thing Castiel would say about his brother wouldn't be good news.

"Lucifer. The devil." Castiel stated, quickly scanning the area around the motel, making sure neither of his brothers, Lucifer nor Michael, were around to hear him talking with the Winchesters. "He followed me here to this town." He chose carefully the words that came next. He knew that Dean was extremely protective of Sam. Castiel wasn't sure how to continue other than being blunt. "He needs a new vessel that can sustain his immense power. He needs Sam. He needs a Winchester"

Dean shot up from the bed. "Like hell he does! I'm going to kill that son of a bitch!" Dean stomped up to Castiel, grabbed him by the collar of his coat and yanked him forward. "How can you kill the devil?" He demanded to know, staring deep into Castiel's confused stare. The angel could feel Dean's breath on his lips. It was a strange sensation.

"You can't." Castiel blinked, placing his hands on Dean and gently pulled his hands away from his collar. Castiel's hands were cold and sent chills through Dean. "There is no human way. All that can be done to ensure Sam's protection is for Sam himself to deny Lucifer." The room went silent. Castiel could tell the Winchester brothers were deep in thought. A lot had been revealed to them in such a short amount of time. Castiel hoped that when all of it was over, he would be able to-

"What will happen if Sam says yes?" Dean asked. Sam protested behind him saying he would never agree to become a vessel to the devil. Dean ignored his brother. He just wanted straight facts. "What happens?" He asked again, brow furrowed in frustration.

"If I fail in my mission to protect the Winchesters and Sam agrees to become a vessel for Lucifer, then all hell will break loose." Castiel tapped his fingers on the dresser's surface. His jaw clenched at the thought of him failing his orders.

"You mean that figuratively, right? Cas?" Dean asked.

"No, I am most serious about the outcome of Sam's response." Castiel's bluntness was getting to the Winchester brothers. They were used to being lied to their whole lives, so being told everything straight out was a nice change. Dean actually believed. He looked at Castiel in a new light. He was going to keep his brother safe. He was a protector. He was _their_ protector.

"Cas." Dean took a step back, knowing that the celestial being in front of him was leaving something out of the equation. "You said you were here to keep _us_ safe." Dean pointed at himself, then to Sam, and then right back at himself. "That means the both of us. What are you not telling me?"

Castiel gulped, feeling the room get smaller around him. He wanted to leave out the fact that Michael was in town and in need of a new vessel. The one that Castiel had seen him in before wasn't going to last long. No vessel ever did. That was why Michael stayed in heaven. He was only in town because Lucifer showed up. There would always be a battle where the brothers Lucifer and Michael were. "There is another…"

"Another angel?" Sam asked behind Dean. He was as serious about the whole ordeal as the others where. There was no way he would be left out of the whole mess. He was the main reason for angels to be congregating in the town. He didn't want to be left in the dark. "It is another angel, isn't it?"

Castiel nodded. "I fear he will be coming after Dean. You see, Michael, he-"

"He needs a vessel? Like your dick-of-a-brother does too?" Dean crossed his arms over his chest. Castiel gave another nod. Dean huffed. "Well hell no to that. Whatever this angel wants with me, he can't have it." Dean gave Castiel a stern look and then went over to his brother. He placed a firm hand on Sam's shoulder, tightening his grip only slightly. "You see Cas, we're Winchesters, and if that means anything to you at all, you would know that we are stubborn as hell."


	5. The Angel, The Hunter, and The Vessel

**Chapter 5: The Angel, the Hunter, and the Vessel**

The sun had set without the Winchester brothers paying much attention to it. They had been going over everything that their new companion, Castiel, had told them. It all seemed impossible, crazy even, but Castiel was very convincing. After talking things through with the brothers, Castiel realized that the influx of information had exhausted them. Dean had been yawning for the past several minutes, while Sam was rubbing his sore eyes. Castiel took a step towards the boys. Dean tensed up, reaching for his brother, but when he looked up at Castiel he felt comfort in the presence of an angel. Dean quickly calmed himself down and waited for Castiel to continue his step. "I will leave you two for the night. You are both tired and need your rest." A surge of energy filled the air.

"What about you?" Dean asked, knowing that Castiel had been through hell that day too. "Where will you go?"

Castiel gave Dean one last blue-eyed gaze. "I will be around." He then disappeared in a gust of air, leaving the Winchester brother's hair tossed up and shirts disheveled.

Dean stood up quickly and stomped his foot. "Can't he just use the freaking door?" Pulling at his clothes, getting his layers back in order, and running his fingers through his hair, he looked at Sam. Sam had a grin on his face. It was something Dean hadn't seen in a long time. "What's that stupid smile for?" Dean said, automatically ruining the moment Sam was having with himself.

"I'm just relieved. That's all." Sam stood, walked over to the small bathroom in the room. He was carrying some extra clothes with him. "School is tomorrow, and we've got an _angel_ on our side." He was about to close the door to the bathroom so that he could take a shower when Dean stopped him.

"We're not going back to school, Sam." He said sternly, holding the door open with a firm grip. "You heard Cas. His brother is out to get you, and I'm not leaving you out of my sight." Dean was right about Lucifer being a threat to his little brother, but Sam wouldn't have any of it.

"Dean, you may not need education since you have your heart set on being like dad, but-" Dean glared at Sam for mentioning their father. Sam didn't stop. "- I want to do something else with my life. So I am going to school whether you like it or not." Sam then yanked the door from Dean's grip and slammed it shut.

Dean stood back. He was completely shocked by his brother's behavior. Sure Sam was currently a fifteen year old, hormonal, teenager, but usually he was level headed. Dean sighed, knowing there was no way to convince his brother otherwise. "I'm not letting you go alone then." Dean shouted through the door to Sam. He was defeated. "There is no way I am leaving my brother alone." He repeated, this time softer and to himself.

Soon after they both took showers and relaxed, the brothers were both in their beds, lights turned off and the television playing softly in the background. Sam had fallen asleep almost instantly, while Dean was left with racing thoughts. He tossed and turned in his bed. The sheets tangled around his legs. His head had started to hurt again, though the swelling had ceased. All that was left was the bruised area of skin high on his freckled cheek. He tenderly prodded his skin with a slim finger. He closed his eyes, finally feeling his brain reach the edges of unconsciousness. The last thing he felt before he drifted off was a tender touch to his forehead. It was cold, but comforting. The tight features of his face melted away into the night.

That night Dean had strange dreams. He dreamt of places he had never seen, yet knew they existed somewhere on a map. He then dreamt of a dark place that heated him to his core and scorched his skin. He felt pain in that place, but then was overwhelmed with that same cool and tender feeling. His dreams then placed him in white room filled with artwork that he would have never spent the time to look at properly. He felt like he was safe in that white room until he came to greet an older, bald man. He felt like his body was dragged from that place and thrown into a movie reel. Small blurs of life passed by him. He saw the deaths of many people he didn't know. His head felt like it was spinning and he couldn't wake up. His thoughts finally placed him in a forest. The sounds cracked around him and everything was dark. He was walking ahead of someone, but trying to look back at the person's face was meaningless. All he could think of was getting out of that place and making sure the person behind him didn't get left behind.

That was when Dean woke up.

He shot up straight from his bed, throwing his twisted blankets off of his body. His black shirt clung to sweat soaked skin. Yanking it from his body, he threw it to the floor at the side of the bed. His chest rose and fell quickly. Dean glanced over to the bed next to him where Sam was sleeping. When he found his brother sleeping peacefully, he sighed and fell back down to his bed. It was early morning, almost four, and the sun hadn't risen over the horizon yet. Though some light from the streetlights peaked its way through the closed blinds. It was then that he saw a silhouette against the dull light.

The silhouette spoke, calming Dean instantly. "Have you been dreaming?" Castiel asked, voice as serene as ever. He was staring through the blinds. What little light had shown through the blinds illuminated the irises of Castiel's eyes. They brightened up to a pale blue. Dean rubbed his eyes, still tired and completely exhausted from a rough night of sleep. He yawned and nodded at the same time. Castiel caught the nod from the corner of his eyesight and then asked the next important question. "Of what?"

Dean stopped for a second. He remembered the dream being so real and so strange, but he could not recall the events that took place. He felt an empty hole in his chest when realizing that he couldn't think of anything that had happened. "I-I don't know." He said finally, looking down at his shaking hands. Castiel walked over to him slowly, making sure that each step was light, so that he did not wake up Sam. Dean looked up at Castiel, hands still shaking. "Cas- I-" Before Dean could say anything else; Castiel grabbed Dean's bare shoulder, holding him still.

"It's alright, Dean." Castiel said softly. He sat down on the edge of the bed and leaned over Dean. The fabric from his coat dropped down and tickled Dean's bare chest. "You just need to rest." Castiel raised his hand, two fingers protruding, and went to place it on Dean's forehead, but the older Winchester grabbed Castiel by the wrist. "Dean?"

"Last time you did that I woke up not knowing what happened." He scowled at the angel. Castiel understood. Mankind had always wanted to know the truth about everything. Who they were? How that came to be? Dean was no different. Castiel quit his quest to ease Dean of his troubles and send him off to sleep with his touch. He just stared deeply at Dean, pulling his hand away, but keeping the other firmly on Dean's shoulder. Dean yawned, rolling his head to look at Castiel's fingers on the hand touching his bare skin. "I don't want to forget, Cas. I don't want to forget that feeling."

Castiel knew it was his mission from god to keep the Winchester brothers safe. And that meant by all means necessary. He wanted to rid Dean of the dreams that gave away too much information of things to come, even though Dean had said he didn't remember. Castiel knew that if he stayed in close range with Dean that his powers would cast the things he knew upon the older brother. Castiel wanted to lift that burden. He knew there were many other burdens in Dean's life that he couldn't even begin to fathom, but just this one he wanted to rid from Dean's mind. Castiel lifted his hand again, going in for a second try. "Dean, I must-"

"It just felt so real." Dean whispered. He was stuck in the state between alertness and unconsciousness. With Castiel sitting there on the side of the bed, he didn't feel the need to be wary of any of his surroundings. The Angel would protect him. The angel would-

"I'm sorry, Dean." Castiel took the chance and pressed his fingers to Dean's forehead. A short sting ran up Castiel's arm and shot to his heart. Dean's eyes widened, but soon his eyelids covered up the green irises and dark pupils. He slumped into his pillow, completely at peace. Castiel pulled back, lifting his hand from Dean's shoulder. He stared at his own palm for a moment before pulling the covers over the being he was to keep safe. As Castiel stood, he stared at his hand once more, feeling the warmth of Dean's flesh slowly drift away. "I am sorry." He said once more before returning to his post at the window of the room.

That next morning was strange. Dean woke up to his brother shoving him from side to side and yelling into his ear. "Dean! I am not going to be late to school because you slept in!" Sam shoved Dean's tired body once more before giving up on his brother. He grabbed his bag and headed for the door. "Come on, Dean!" Dean yawned, rubbing his eyes, and sat up. His hair, which was normally at ends in the front, was matted down on his forehead. He didn't feel all too rested, and he had no clue as to why that was. He was surprised that he had actually managed to sleep his way through the night. Rubbing his eyes again, Dean got up from the bed and reached into his bag.

"Give me ten minutes, Sammy." He requested, grabbing some new clothes from his bag. He noticed that he had woken up without a shirt on. It had somehow made its way to the floor. Dean shrugged, thinking he must of gotten hot that night and taken it off in his sleep. It was nothing out of the normal. He proceeded in changing his clothes and then went to brush his teeth. Sam was standing impatiently by the door. As soon as Dean was ready, Sam quickly opened the door and headed out, only to bump straight into an angel in a trench coat.

Castiel looked down at Sam, not smiling, nor frowning. He was completely still. "Good morning, Sam." He said before passing him up and heading through the door towards Dean. "Dean." He said swiftly. Dean looked up from tying his bootlaces. He gave Castiel a confused look and then proceeded to tie his boot up, figuring that the angel would explain himself soon enough. "Uh- Dean. Are you well?" He asked, his stoic face giving off small hints of worry.

"I'm fine, Cas." Dean pulled his jean's cuffs over his boots. He then grabbed his leather jacket and pulled his arms through its sleeves. He was still giving Cas a confused look. Castiel still hadn't explained why he was there. It was early morning and Dean had just woken up. "Cas, what do you want?" Dean asked harshly. Deep within him he felt some pent up anger towards the angel. He wasn't sure as to why, since Cas hadn't done anything bad. The feeling was there, as was the dull warmth in his shoulder. His hand made its way up to his shoulder to rub it gently.

"I was thinking I could accompany you on your journey to school." Castiel finally said, nervously eyeing Dean rubbing the shoulder that he, only hours earlier, had his hand on. The thought brought Castiel to look at his palm again. When finding that his hand was trembling, Castiel quickly pocketed it in his trench coat and turned in the doorway. He followed after Sam who had already begun walking to school. Dean wasn't far behind, closing the motel room door behind him, and casually walking over to his brother and the angelic guy with blue eyes.

The day was clear, just like the day before except for the few bits of clouds that Lucifer had conjured up. Sam walked a little ahead of Castiel and Dean, glancing back and giving a small smirk as he went. Dean kept rubbing his shoulder and looking over at Castiel who was staring him down. "What!?" Dean snapped.

"Does your shoulder hurt?" Castiel asked, facing Dean, yet still walking fairly easily.

"No." Dean said under his breath, picking up his pace. He looked at his feet as he walked. The anger he felt towards Castiel was slowly drifting away, but the dull warmth was still there. _He did something. I know he did. I can feel it._ The rest of the walk to school was silent. Castiel fell in step with the Winchester brothers. As they entered the school's yard, groups of people stared at the three. There was Castiel Asher, the strange, quiet student, and Sam and Dean Winchester, the ones who picked fights with Luc Asher.

Sam, Dean, and Castiel pushed past the crowds, finally getting inside the school. The Winchester brothers watched their surroundings, looking for Lucifer. They were on edge until Castiel assured them that Lucifer wasn't there that day. Castiel couldn't sense Lucifer, or Michael, which was strange. There weren't any more angels in the area other than him. He found it odd. "I guess that means I'm safe for the day." Sam said before heading off to his first class with a smile on his face. He grinned at Castiel and Dean as he walked off. Dean watched his brother walk away, making sure everything was okay and that his brother was safe for the time being. He then looked over at Castiel. They shared eye contact for a moment before Dean broke it off, turned down the hallway towards his and Castiel's first class.

As they walked into the classroom, every student in the area went silent. Castiel scuffled his way over to his seat in the back of the room. He sat down with no more noise than a squeak of the chair. Dean pocketed his hands and followed. He gruffly sat in his seat next to Castiel and glared at the rest of the students. They all broke contact with Dean immediately and went back to their gossiping lives. Dean sighed loudly, leaning over in his seat just a little. "Hey, Cas."

Castiel turned his head towards Dean. He had stopped correcting Dean on the nickname that was given to him. At first he disliked it, knowing that his father named him for a purpose and he should only be called by that name, but then Dean came along. Castiel found that he had grown quite fond of the small nickname. It gave him one of those warm, human feelings deep inside his vessel. "Yes, Dean?"

"What are all their deals?" He asked, eyeing the snickering students in front of them. Girls giggled when looking back at Dean and Castiel, they smiled quickly and then turned around to gossip some more. Dean wasn't much for gossip, but when it was about him, it bothered him. He had a reputation to keep up; a reputation of being the loner, the badass. Dean then caught a couple guys in the front of the classroom give him a disgusted look.

Castiel paid no mind to the students staring back at him and Dean. "They are but clouded by false pretenses." He sat straight in his seat, only moving a little to face Dean. "They have heard of your fights with my brother, and now they are quite interested in our friendship." Castiel said everything with such a straight face that Dean's expression seemed over exaggerated.

"No man, I ain't gay." Dean said, scowling at his fellow classmates. Their whispered gossiping halted and they all turned in their seats, staring at Dean. "Why the hell do they even think I am?" Dean glared over at Castiel who had resumed facing forward. He was stuck there, completely disgusted and confused. "Son of a-" Dean pounded his fists on the desktop. He kept glaring at the angel next to him. When the teacher walked in the room to start his lesson, Dean quickly whispered over to Castiel. "Dude, you need to keep your distance."

Castiel shook his head slowly. "I cannot. I must protect the Winchesters."

Dean rolled his eyes. "Great." Dean crossed his arms over his chest and grumbled to himself over and over. He didn't like the new reputation of being the closeted freak. He didn't like that one bit. He loved women too much. There was no way he could ever be gay, but when he looked over at his stoic friend, his heart jumped. That missing beat was enough to send him over the edge. Dean's temper struck a new high. He hit the desktop harder. He got up from his desk and walked straight for he door. _This is not normal._ He told himself over and over as he stomped his way out of the classroom. Castiel stayed silently in his seat. He watched the teacher's reactions to Dean's departure. That was when he realized that familiar glint in familiar green eyes. He felt the power of his brother before he knew that there was yet another vessel for him.

"Castiel Asher?" The teacher called, running down the list of students for attendance. Castiel raised his hand slowly, eyeing his devious older brother at the front of the room inhabiting the teacher.

_Michael…_


	6. The World: So Young and Naive

**Chapter 6: The World: So Young and Naïve**

It was a wonder that the vessel that Lucifer had chosen to inhabit had lasted that long. He strode through the household he had destroyed; ignoring the stench of the bodies he discarded as if they were nothing. He finally found his way to the living room where he sat down on the blood stained couch. "This is so trouble-some." He sighed, thinking about all the commotion coming to the town, mostly his brother Michael. Yes, he knew about the arrival of his enemy. He also knew there was going to be one _hell_ of a fight. That meant that he had to get a new vessel. He needed a vessel that was fit for him. He needed Sam Winchester.

The vessel he was in was a temporary thing. The once golden hair that had adorned the teenager's head had dulled to a dusty blonde. The vibrant blue eyes that saw light in the world had long since burned down to scorching amber. Last was his vessel's skin. It was bursting at the seems from the immense power that resided within. With his vessel breaking on him, Lucifer was in need of the younger Winchester. Although, since he was staying away from the school for a while, he was going to leave the dirty work to his children, his demons, Meg and Ruby. So for the time being, he sat and waited for his plan to unfold. "Looks like we're deer hunting for Bambi."

Lucifer grabbed the remote from the coffee table in front of the couch he was sitting at. He nonchalantly rolled his shoulders and leaned over to the rotting corpse of his vessel's parent beside him. "Anything good on TV?" He asked as his lips curled up into a smirk. When the corpse didn't respond he merely shrugged and pushed the power button. "Tough crowd." Lucifer slumped into the couch before sighing loudly and calling out to his children.

"Girls, come to papa." He said with a slight laugh. Soon two teenage girls appeared in the room. Their eyes were a soulless black. The air around them chilled as they approached Lucifer. "Meg. Ruby." Lucifer stood up from the couch, the corpse at his side fell over, flies scattering. "I have a little job for you." Meg and Ruby nodded, knowing what they had to do. They knew the task was simple, but the threat of Castiel was imminent. "Just bring Sam Winchester to me. That is all I ask."

"Sure thing boss." Meg said as her eyes flickered back to their normal human quality. "He is just a boy after all."

"Just a boy." Ruby repeated, running her fingers through her long blonde hair. Her eyes also flickered back to iris and pupil. "We'll have him in no time." She assured Lucifer before the two girls disappeared, showing back up at school like they were never gone in the first place. They walked down the echoing hallway, heels clicking on the floor. Homeroom had let out and students were robotically moving onto their next class. Ruby suddenly stopped, holding back her companion, Meg.

"Hold on." She said, squinting her eyes down the hall. Through the mass of students walking into various classes, she found a short boy with shaggy brown hair. "Got him." She continued walking, Meg followed. Soon they were right behind Sam. Sam stood at his locker, pulling out a book for his next class. He felt a chill run down his spine before he turned to face the two girls.

Giving them a once over, Sam gulped. "C-can I do something for you?" He asked nervously. Meg and Ruby cocked smiles. Ruby turned on her feet, swinging a slim arm around Sam's shoulder. He was much shorter than her and was intimidated by her closeness. Sam gulped again, all his senses going haywire since he hadn't been that close to a girl before.

"You know…" Ruby started, running her fingers through her long blonde hair. "You can do a lot for us, Sam." In the back of Sam's mind he knew that the girls that were hanging on him were bad news. They were with Luc. He knew they were up to something, but at the moment he was paralyzed and thinking with his _other_ brain. He swallowed hard again when Meg ran a long-nailed finger across his collarbone. Ruby then tugged Sam along down the hall, Meg slipping an arm around Sam's hip.

"Uh- I-" Sam stuttered. He didn't know what to say. He just walked down the hall with the girls, leaving his locker wide open and his backpack sliding off his shoulder. "I need to get to class." He finally said, knowing the bell for the next class was going to ring soon. He tried wiggling his way out from the girls' grasps, but failed. Their grip tightened on him. "Ouch- Hey-" Sam stared up at Ruby as she smirked. He gasped when he saw her eyes. They had turned black, as did Meg's. Sam panicked. They led him down the hall and around the corner. The bell rang throughout the halls and Sam really started to struggle with the demons.

"Quit moving, Winchester. Our father just wants to have a chat with you." Meg commanded, striking Sam across the face. When Sam didn't stop, she raised her hand to hit him again. That was when Meg twitched hard and looked behind her. Ruby stared, wide eyed at the person behind Meg. She let go of Sam instantly, shifting her position in case she had to run.

"What is it we have here?" A tall man with brown, curled hair and vibrant green eyes stared down at the three students. Meg and Ruby's eyes flicked back to their original human state. The teacher was Michael, and he was standing before them. The girls could feel his presence and shivered at the holy power. Meg shot Ruby a wary glance before they nodded at each other. Their bodies twitched and black smoke escaped from their mouths. After a few moments of darkness, Meg and Ruby's bodies dropped to the ground in fleshy heaps. Sam stood shakily, not sure what had happened. He stared at the teacher in front of him. There was a weird crackle in the air and Sam felt the hairs on his arms rise.

Sam was about to thank the teacher, but Michael spoke first. "Sam Winchester, was it?" Sam nodded. "You have a brother, right?" Sam nodded again. He wasn't sure as to why the teacher was asking so many questions. Michael continued. "That is quite interesting. You see-" Michael pulled Sam out into the openness of the hallway away from the girl's bodies. "I, too, have brothers." Michael squeezed his hand on the back of Sam's neck. "One in particular who is just _dying_ to get an answer from you. Particularly a _Yes_."

Sam tensed, stopping in his tracks. He knew there was something off about the teacher. He wasn't just some normal, good-looking teacher out to better the student population. He had an air around him. Sam shook steadily. "L-Lucifer." Sam could just see the older guy in his mind, snarling and all menacingly like. Michael let go of Sam and grinned wickedly at the response Sam was having.

"Exactly! But, Sam, I need you to hold off on that answer for a little longer. You see-" Michael ran his hands through his hair, pulling clumps of hair and flesh from his scalp. "- This body is falling apart and I need my true vessel." Michael raised his hand to his head and a small glow emitted from his palm, healing his wounds. " I need your brother." Sam took a step back away from the powerful archangel. His eyes were wide and he was frightened, but that was when his brother came to the rescue.

"Another feathery ass, Sammy? These things can't stay away from us, can they?" Sam's eyes widened. Dean appeared from around the corner, holding his pocketknife tightly in one hand. "You can walk away now, Fabio." Dean took a step closer. Michael didn't budge. He only stared at Dean in amusement.

"I didn't have to wait long for you, Dean Winchester." Michael left Sam standing there hopeless and walked up to Dean. He brought a hand to Dean's shoulder. The older Winchester soon smacked the archangel's cold hand away. Michael hissed, glaring at his true vessel.

"You're not really my type, teach. You've got the wrong parts." Dean smirked. He nodded at his brother to ensure him he was safe. Dean wasn't going to let anything happen to Sam.

"You know Dean. I can be so much more for you than Castiel." Michael felt a rumble in the air as soon as he said his brother's name. "Castiel, come save your boyfriend from your older brother." Michael whistled in the air. Dean stared, confused, at the angel teacher. The rumble in the air grew and soon a swift breeze of air filled the space around the Winchester's and Michael. Castiel appeared at Sam's side first, grabbing him tightly and then quickly reaching for Dean before Michael could do any damage.

"Michael. Father will not tolerate this behavior." Castiel held onto the two Winchester brothers tightly. "I cannot let you continue this sort of action against the Winchesters." Before Michael could say anything back, a power rose inside of Castiel and the three disappeared, reappearing in the school's courtyard. The Winchester brothers coughed hard, trying to breath normally after being ripped through space and time. Sam held his chest while Dean patted him on the back, grabbing at his own chest for air.

"Cas! I told you to stop doing that." Dean barked. He stood straight, fixing his rustled clothing. He glared at the blue-eyed angel. "Who the hell was that teacher? Another family member?" Dean patted Sam on the back once more and checked to see if he was okay before pursuing an answer from Castiel.

Castiel only nodded. He then turned on his feet, staring back at the school building. "My brother, Michael, he's here to force combat with Lucifer. This school is no longer safe for you and your brother. I must get you two out of here." Castiel quickly turned and grabbed for Dean's arm without a second thought. Dean smacked his hand away.

"No way! No more of your angel mojo." Dean shook his whole body holding his hands up in defense. Chills ran down his spine. "You are not allowed to do that to me or Sam anymore, unless you have our permission. That shit messes our systems up." Dean checked on Sam one more time. His brother was silent. "Sam?" Dean crouched beside his brother, looking at him worriedly. "Hey, Sammy, you're going to be fine."

Sam shook his head. "Dean, they're angels. How are we supposed to-" Sam pointed out a troublesome problem. The Winchester's had never faced something like angels before. Yet, Dean knew they were going to be fine. He stood tall and pulled a knife from his pocket. He quickly took the blade across his palm, slicing it clean. Blood began to pour from the wound.

"Dean!" Castiel gripped Dean's arm and tried pulling him closer to get a better look at the wound. Sam stared, confused at his brothers actions. Dean just pulled away from Cas and pressed his fingers in the pooled blood in his palms. "Dean, what are you-?" Dean kneeled down to the concrete and dragged his bloody fingers across the pavement. Castiel's blue eyes went wide. There was no possible way that Dean could know that symbol.

"Sam, this is how- I don't know how I know- but this will keep them away." Dean finished the symbol. The blood seeped into the pores of the concrete. After adding the final touch to the sigil, Dean pressed his palm hard to the ground. A bright light filled the space around them and Castiel yelped out in pain. When the light died down, the angel was gone. Dean looked around for Castiel, but the sigil had to have worked.

"Dean, how did you do that?" Sam asked, helping his brother up from the concrete and pulling a cloth from his pocket, pressing it on Dean's wounded hand. The blood clotted and eventually the cut stopped bleeding.

"Don't worry about it, Sammy." Dean only remembered the sigil from flashes of images he had seen in his dreams. It was weird, but he felt so comfortable with the whole process like he had done it a million times. The sigil sent angels away. Dean knew it would. He had seen it done. Not in real life. Just in small dreams he had early that morning. Thinking back to the night before, Dean could have sworn that he had more dreams other than the ones he had of angels. His forehead crinkled and his head started to hurt. A sharp pain singed through his head. Dean buckled down to the ground, clenching his teeth.

Images flooded his mind. The images Castiel had once removed came flooding back to him. It was like the angel banishing sigil he marked on the concrete caused the block Castiel made on Dean's mind to vanish along with the angel.

"Dean!" Sam held his brothers shoulders. Dean shuttered, smacking his head to keep the images from going wild. His mind set on one familiar scene. A dark forest, filled with monsters, and a man walking behind him. "Dean, what is going on?" Sam asked off in the distance. Dean kept walking, his feet crunching the leaves and twigs beneath him. He turned his head. It was painful, but he needed to see the man's face. He needed to- "DEAN!" Dean's green eyes shot open and he stared straight forward at his brother, Sam.

"I'm fine." Dean said under his breath. "I'm fine, Sammy."

"No you're not, Dean. We need to call dad." Sam tried pulling his brother up again. Dean refused the help. He stood up on his own, towering over his younger brother. "Dean, please. We can't handle this kind of job. Dad can help." Sam begged. He was scared. Scared for his brother, scared for their lives.

"Sam, all we need to do is go back in that school and show that feathery ass who is boss." Dean pulled Sam forward and walked towards the school. Dean's body felt heavy. His head foggy except for one thing that was clear. That man behind him, in that forest, in his mind- that man looked a whole hell a lot like Cas.

It was only moments later that Sam and Dean were back in class and watching everything around them, making sure they were safe. Sam thought he would see Meg and Ruby sometime later that day, but they never showed up. Dean on the other hand was getting ready to walk into the gym. He still hadn't brought any gym clothes with him to school, but frankly he didn't care. He wouldn't be in that school for long. Also, he thought gym was going to be a little dangerous for him that day. The other students in his class period were mostly football jocks. Large, muscular, mean. Dean had been pinned as one of the _weird_ ones. He had been seen around Castiel a lot and the student body stuck them together and called them a thing. Which led the beefy jocks to dislike Dean. Even if Dean knew it wasn't true, didn't mean they knew it wasn't. It was going to be a bad game of dodge ball, ending with Dean bruised. Dean didn't know if he could make it through the class.

He walked into the gym; the light that had shattered before was still out, darkening a small corner of the large room. He wasn't late this time so the teacher didn't blow a whistle in his ear. Dean lined up with the rest of the class like before. The teacher listed off names. Luc wasn't there, which wasn't a surprise. Though, Castiel wasn't there either. Dean began to worry, thinking that when he shot Castiel away with the sigil that he banished him for good. "Ah crap." Dean groaned.

"I do not think fecal matter is included in this whole ordeal." Came a familiar voice beside Dean. Dean jumped as Castiel stood there, looking winded and troubled. "We need to talk." Castiel grabbed Dean's arm roughly, not meaning to hurt the older Winchester, but clearly peeved about the little maneuver Dean had pulled. Dean glanced over at the teacher who was intently staring at his list of names and not paying attention. He nodded at Castiel and the two snuck out of the gymnasium with ease. Only a few students noticed them and whispered to each other rumors about the two.

Castiel held onto Dean's arm tightly. He wasn't going to let the Winchester get away easily. Though Dean was in no hurry to speed off. He needed to talk to Castiel about what he had been seeing. His brother wouldn't believe him, and his father would probably see him as a monster and hunt him down. He could only talk to the angel. It was a safe way to go about things. Dean felt secure with Castiel around. He couldn't explain the feeling, but if he were to try and explain it, it would be like the feeling he got when he was little and in the arms of his mother.

They made it down the hall before Dean yanked his arm away from Castiel's hard grip. His skin burned from the touch of the angel. Rubbing the area of leather coat, Dean stepped back, glaring at the angel. "Yeah, we need to talk." Dean took a step forward at Castiel. He was slightly taller than the other teenager, but not as angered at the celestial being. Dean was confused and in need of answers. Castiel was down right pissed at being sent off in a blast of angel banishing mojo. "We need to talk right now. I need to know why I keep seeing things that aren't real." Dean grabbed a hold of Castiel's white collared shirt. He rammed Castiel against the lockers. Castiel just kept his cold blue stare on Dean. He didn't say anything. He just kept silent. "Cas, you're pissing me off. What the hell is going on? I want all the answers."

"It is nothing a human can understand." Castiel said coldly. His rudeness was a sign of his anger towards Dean. Castiel knew that he shouldn't be mad at the older Winchester since he was supposed to be protecting him, but he was hurt that Dean would even write the sigil in his presence.

Dean ground his teeth together and raised Castiel a little off the ground and up against the lockers even harder. "Dammit, Cas." Dean raised his fisted hand, ready to hit the angel if need be. When Castiel continued to be silent, Dean hurdled his fist at Castiel. A gust of air flipped his jacket around and no more than a second later Dean and Castiel were outside by the football field right next to the bleachers. Dean's fist collided with the angel's face, though causing no damage. Dean let go of Castiel's shirt and the angel floated down to the grassy field. Dean quickly looked at his surroundings. "Cas, I told you to quit doing that."

"You were causing a scene. Outside, where no one can see, is a lot better for the both of us. Other students may have thought that we were having a couples quarrel." Castiel pulled at his collar, smoothing out the wrinkles that Dean had caused.

"We're not together!" Dean growled. He scuffed his feet in the grass before walking over to the bleachers, taking a seat on the cold metal. "I don't know why people think we are. I just happen to be the only person who talks with you." Dean tapped his fingers on the metal seating. The wind was cold and whipping around them like crazy. He glared at Castiel, who was back to his normal emotionless self. His anger seemed to have melted away with the change in scenery.

"I do not converse with others usually, that is true." Castiel walked over to Dean and took a seat next to him. He sat tall with his hands in his lap. "You may be the only person I talk to, but I cannot give you the answers you seek." Castiel fiddled his fingers around before staring off into the sky. The look on his face was the same as the face he made the first time Dean saw him. His eyes searched the sky as if something would fall from it. Dean grumbled, causing Castiel's eyes to shift over to him. "I am sorry." Castiel said softly.

Dean bit his lip, and tried sizing Castiel up. He puffed his chest out and got his face really close to Castiel, staring him straight in the eyes. "You're going to give me answers." Castiel's brow furrowed as he tried summing up the situation. He had never come across a human like Dean Winchester. He had never come across this kind of behavior. He could only think of one thing to do, the same as Dean. The problem was that at that same moment Dean moved an inch further to intimidate Castiel, but it backfired. They connected in the middle, bumping foreheads, noses, and lips.

Dean green eyes shot wide open. He fell back, off the bleachers and too the dirt ground. He wiped his lips with the back of his hand, spitting several times and cringing. "DUDE! What the hell!?" He sat up straight, his freckled face completely red with blush. Castiel was just sitting there, confused at what had just happened. He touched his lips softly with the tips of his fingers and pouted.

"That was an accident." Castiel said, quickly looking back into the sky. He looked like he was in silent prayer. Dean still sat on the ground, utterly shocked at the current situation. He too touched his lips tenderly with his index finger. The blush was still evident on his face.

It was a happy accident.


	7. An Unpleasant Situation

**Chapter 7: An Unpleasant Situation**

Dean sat on the cold ground, staring up at the angel. Castiel slowly shut his eyes; finishing the prayer he was sending to his father. He then glanced over to Dean before standing up. The young Winchester had continued to wipe his mouth. His face was flushed and his body trembling ever so slightly. Castiel offered him a hand to help him from the ground. "Why are you so distressed? I enjoyed that very much." Castiel bit his lip; reliving the moment his lips touched Dean's. "It was something I had always wanted to try with a human."

Dean smacked away Castiel's offered hand. He got up on his own, patting the dirt off his blue jeans. He yanked at the collar of his leather jacket and jammed his hands in his pockets. "If you did that on purpose, I'm going to kill you." Dean could see Castiel start to say that it was impossible for a human to kill an angel, but he cut him off beforehand. "I will banish your ass again." Dean stood there, tall, but still shaking with frustration.

Castiel cocked his head to the side. "Everyone sees us as a couple." He said matter-of-factly. He shifted on his feet, feeling an overwhelming power rise in the air.

"Well, we're not." Dean shook his head. He pulled his hands from his pocket and clenched his fists tightly until his knuckles turned white. "Just because people _think_ we are a couple, does not mean we follow suit." Wind whipped up around Dean and into Castiel's eyesight. The foliage temporarily blinded the angel and he lost sight of Dean for only a second. The next second was when he felt his stomach drop. Standing behind oblivious Dean was Michael.

"Dean." Castiel said quickly, racing towards the Winchester who just seemed too far away. Dean gave Castiel a questioning look. He then felt the presence behind him. Quickly turning around, Dean leaped back, crashing his back into Castiel's chest. Castiel took a hold of Dean and pulled him back, holding onto him. "What the hell, man?" Dean kept still in Castiel's arms. It was a lot safer there. Even though he had to say yes to Michael for him to be a vessel, Michael could still rough him around for the answer.

Michael's green eyes glowed emerald. "Ah, I see. My dearest little brother gets a piece of you, while I, who is destined for you, cannot." Michael took a step forward and Dean felt Castiel's hands grip him tighter in the arms. Deans mind had gone blank. All he could see was Michael walking at him and then he felt Castiel tug him away. Soon they were sprinting, Dean following Castiel. At first Castiel held Dean's forearm, but his hand slipped and he grabbed Dean's hand. They ran off into the distance, leaving Michael standing in the field just behind the school. Castiel tugged Dean back into the school, through the halls, and back into the gymnasium. When they were finally out of harms way, it was like the whole class stopped simultaneously. They all stared at Dean and Castiel. The rumors looked to be true. Dean and Castiel, the new _couple_, running into the gym, breathing hard, and holding hands. Yeah, "Dean and Castiel" was a thing.

Dean took in all of the stares he was receiving. His heart was pounding like crazy, not just from running away from Michael, but from the accidental kiss and how everything everyone thought to be true was getting harder and harder to explain. Dean's grip on Castiel's hand became slick with nervous sweat. He let his hand slip, fingers brushing Castiel's skin. He brought his hands together and rubbed them gently. His shoulders rose as he took a deep breath and wandered over to the gym teacher. On his trek over, he came up with the backstory as to where he was when he wasn't in class.

After having a short talk with the gym teacher and the man nodding at Dean wearily, Dean jogged over to the rest of the class playing dodge ball. Castiel just took a seat on the bottom row of pulled out bleachers in the gym. He watched Dean dodge, dive, dip, duck, and dodge again. It came down to Dean on one side of the line and three others on the other side. Dean gulped hard, quickly glancing over at Castiel who was patiently sitting alone. He then held two dodge balls in his hands and hurdled them over to the other side, knocking two of the three out. Last on the floor were Dean and a beefy jock. Dean smirked, stopping a ball with his foot when it rolled towards him. He leaned down to pick it up, dodging a ball from the other side. He then aimed, and sling shot the ball across the gymnasium. That was when his team won. Dean had knocked the last guy to the floor. He walked over to the guy and offered him a hand. "Good game." Dean said courteously.

The guy he knocked to the ground ignored Dean's offer of help and stood up by himself. He snorted at Dean. "It was a lucky shot, fag." He brushed shoulders with Dean as he walked past him, joining his fellow large friends. Dean grew tense, his fists clenched at his sides and the veins in his neck began to bulge. He turned on his feet, stomping over to the clearly larger guy.

"What did you say, chuckles?" Dean wasn't a small guy. He was over six foot tall, but the jock was still taller.

"I said it was a lucky shot, _fag._" That was it. Dean uppercut his clenched fist into the jocks chin. The larger student stumbled back into his group of friends. He almost came back at Dean, but Castiel found his way in between the two. His arms were spread out and protecting Dean. "What's this? Your little boyfriend is here to save you, Winchester." The jock laughed and backed off as the teacher came running over after witnessing the whole thing. He grabbed Dean by his collar and did the same with Castiel. The jock was left alone because he was luckily the teacher's favorite. Dean struggled for a few seconds, but knew he was in big trouble. It was the office for the both of them.

The house was silent, which was usually a nice thing for the devil that wanted peace, but this time around, Lucifer was waiting for his demons to show up with his vessel. It had been more than an hour since he sent his girls off to fetch Sam Winchester. It was an overall simple plan, but there were many obstacles to overcome. Lucifer thought that Castiel could easily be handled, but his younger brother was strangely adamant in keeping the Winchesters safe. Lucifer paced over the area rug in the living room. He scratched at his flaking skin and groaned at his vessels aching bones.

"MEG!" Lucifer bellowed into the air. "RUBY!" It was only moments later that two women showed up at his side. They looked completely different, but it was definitely Meg and Ruby. Meg was all curves with long black hair. Ruby was shorter, with dark curls flowing down her back. Her doe eyes made her look innocent, but she was still the same old Ruby. They were definitely older than their last vessels. Lucifer was pleased with the change, knowing that it would make it easier to trick the Winchesters into giving in. "Nice to see you two again. Mind telling me what happened? Why I don't have my little Sammy right now?"

Meg spoke first. "We had Sam Winchester until Michael showed up. We had to get out of there before-" Lucifer silenced her with a finger pressed to her lush lips. Her eyes went wide as she waited for him to lower his finger.

"My big brother, always trying to do what's best." Lucifer walked over to the burning fire in the fireplace. The flames reflected in his burnt amber eyes. He pulled a trinket from the mantel and threw it into the flames. It shattered and he grinned wickedly. "What of your old bodies?" He asked, knowing if two dead girls were found in the school more unnecessary havoc would arise. He didn't need any of that.

Ruby was the one who spoke next. "We believe Michael took care of the bodies. He is posing as a teacher at the school." Lucifer circled around Ruby and she watched him wearily. He traces her shoulder blades with his fingers, leaving her skin on fire. She hissed slightly. "We also believe that Castiel is aware of Michael being there, so both of the Winchesters know the plan." Lucifer nodded, not really caring if the Winchester brothers knew what was going on. He was only interested in the outcome of having everyone in one place. He would be back at the school in no time. Hell would break loose. Lucifer was going to have Sam Winchester's body if it was the last thing he did. He also needed his brother to have Dean's body if things were going to get interesting. Two perfect vessels for two brothers destined to fight until the heavens fell from the sky.

This was something Dean Winchester didn't need on his plate. The chair he was sitting in creaked with every move that he made. In the silent office, Dean was the only one making noise while Castiel, sitting next to him, was completely still. The principal's office was a familiar place for Dean. He had always been a troublemaker. Usually it was just back talking a teacher or skipping class, but nothing involving injuring another student. Dean knew his father was going to have his head for this.

The principal hadn't gotten to the office yet and Dean glared over at Castiel. "This wouldn't have happened if you just backed off." Dean crossed his arms roughly on his chest. He leaned back in his chair and grumbled. "You better fix this." The door behind them opened and Dean automatically sat up straight. It was better to listen to the authority then defy it, especially if this meant his father was going to be called because of his behavior.

"Dean Winchester. Castiel Asher." The large, chubby man said gruffly. He walked past them and sat down in the leather seat behind his desk. Fixing the glasses on his face, he looked at the two teenagers. "Now what happened?" He asked. Dean knew that no matter what he said, he was most likely to get suspended. Dean took in a deep breath, ready to just get it all out, but Castiel beat him to it.

"You see, sir. Another student said some derogatory things to Dean." Castiel rolled his shoulders. "Being a new student, Dean is having a hard time fitting in and it can be stressful. Stress can turn into something bad. It was just pent up stress that caused Dean to strike the other student. I interjected to stop any further fighting. I believe that things just got out of hand, but it is all over now." The words that flowed from Castiel's lips filled the air and some light, airy feeling filled Dean. He knew that same feeling was filling the principal as well by the look on his face.

"I-I see." The fat man stuttered, pulling at his tie, as the room got hotter. "I understand that there was reasoning behind your actions, Mr. Winchester, but discipline is needed." The principal's eyes roamed over his desktop. He was looking for a pen. Castiel nonchalantly leaned forward and handed him one from his own pocket. His cold fingers barely grazed the principal's hand in the process. The whole air in the room changed from that single touch. The principal cleared his throat, his eyes blank for a few seconds, and then everything was fine. "You two are free to go."

Castiel nodded "Thank you, sir." He stood up from his non-squeaking chair, and grabbed Dean by his sleeve. Dean struggled out of his seat and then followed Castiel out of the office. Once down the hall, Castiel let Dean's sleeve go. Dean had stopped, but Castiel kept walking, onto another class that he would be late to again. Nothing a little mind sweep couldn't fix. He had to do that a lot with his teachers and Dean's. "Dean, go to class. I will talk with you later on. We need to resume normalcy before people start noticing."

"To late for that!" Dean yelled down the hall at Castiel. He stood there watching Castiel disappear into a classroom. He checked the time on his watch and realized that he still had two more class periods to go until lunch. His stomach growled from the excitement of the morning. _Just two more periods, and I might as well go to them. I've already been sent to the office already. I also skipped half of yesterday. _Dean groaned and headed off to his class. On his way to English he realized that he never got an answer from Castiel about the weird images that were flashing through his mind. "Damn you, Cas." Dean scuffed his boots on the school floor. He entered the classroom, told the teacher he was in the office and took his seat in the back. The teacher was the same nice lady from the day before. She understood and continued with her lesson plan.

The next two periods went by extremely slow. Dean's stomach growled loudly. "If I don't get some pie in front of me soon, I might turn into a cannibal." Dean mumbled to himself as he eyed the students sitting around him in his last class until lunch. A pretty girl was sitting next to him, he smirked at her and did a little head nod. She smiled back, but clearly wasn't interested in Dean. Dean rolled his shoulders and slouched in his seat. "Great." He said under his breath. He licked his chapped lips and was brought back to the moment at the bleachers earlier that day. The almost-accidental kiss. Without realizing, Dean had brought his fingers to his lips, feeling the tingling sensation. The bell was what brought him back to his senses. Dean quickly stood up, running from the classroom and down the hall to the cafeteria.

Thank god for the pie that was actually for sale by the slice in the lunch line. Sure, it wasn't good pie, but it was still pie. After all the crap Dean had been through, he needed it. So Dean scrounged up the crumbled dollar bills I his pockets and bought himself two slices and a carton of milk. He found his way to a table off in the far corner of the cafeteria. Soon his brother came strolling up to the table also. Sam sat down, looking as done with life as Dean was. "Anything out of the ordinary since earlier with Michael?"

_Sam knows. Oh god, Sam knows. What do I do? What do I say? It never happened. No, never happened. _ Dean cleared his throat. "Nope, nothing out of the ordinary. Nothing at all." Dean shifted in his seat. "How about you? Are you okay? No creepy teachers coming after you, Sammy?" Dean's voice cracked at the end of his brother's name as Castiel walked up to the table and took a seat across from him. Sam looked back and forth between his brother and the angel. Dean was nervously eyeing his lap as he fiddled his fingers. "What's up, Cas?" He finally said, breaking the awkward silence.

"Uh-" Castiel glanced up. "The ceiling?" He then looked back at Dean before fidgeting in his seat. The awkward silence resumed, only filled by Dean's munching noises as he ate his pie. Sam looked from his brother to Castiel and then back to his brother. Something was definitely up. Sam thought of some reasons as to why everything was all weird between them, but he came to the conclusion that Dean probably wasn't comfortable with the fact that angels exist yet. Although, when Sam looked over at his brother, Dean's face was red. He wasn't sick, so it wasn't a fever. Sam smiled.

"Are you blushing, Dean?" Sam asked with the smile was still on his face as he watched his brother become more and more flustered by the second. It wasn't very often that Sam got something on Dean. He was going to make his brother pay for all the pranks he had played on him in the past. "Castiel, what did you do to him?" Sam asked teasingly, looking over at his brother. Dean shoved the rest of his pie into his mouth and glared at Castiel who was clearing his throat to speak.

Dean gripped the fork in his hand and stabbed it down to the table. If it were metal, the force of his hand would have kept it lodged into the table, but since it was plastic, it snapped off and flew in the air and onto the floor. "Say anything, and I will rip those wings of yours out of your back, throw them to the ground, and burn them." Dean ground his teeth and pushed his seat back from the table. "Sam, come on." Dean reached over and grabbed Sam's bag, thus dragging his brother from the table away from Castiel.

Once the Winchesters were out of the cafeteria Castiel shuddered. He thought about Dean's words for a moment. "That would be most unpleasant."


	8. My Brother and His

**Chapter 8: My Brother and His**

"My brother. It seems we have something to talk about." Michael stood in the field by the playground. He stared up into the sky with tired eyes. His vessel was becoming a heap of flesh, only bound together by his powers. The human inside no longer existed. Michael would move and the skin would stretch and start falling from the muscles. Something needed to be done. Which is why Michael was reaching out on angel radio to his brother, Lucifer. "I know you can hear me, brother. You are still an angel, even after all of these years." Michael stood still, awaiting a response, but received nothing. "Very well, Luc." The powerful angel made his way over to the playground where several mothers were watching their small children.

Just as some of the hair on his head began to slip from his decaying body, he rested a hand on a mother's shoulder. She looked up at him, terror in her eyes, but understanding that he was a celestial being. The words were unspoken, but Michael made his purpose known. She slowly accepted him without any other thought. The world disappeared around her and things were as they were before, only Michael had a new vessel.

"Are you ready to listen now, brother?" Michael stood, walking away from the bench where his vessel was sitting at. Other mother's gawked at the woman as she walked away from the playground, away from her child. "I have a proposition for you." Michael waved his new feminine hand and disappeared from the field by the playground. He reappeared on the school grounds. Standing just before the front doors of the building was Lucifer. "Ah! Brother!" Michael made his vessel smile, her white teeth bearing.

"You rang, Michael?" Lucifer scowled. He took a step back from Michael and kept his distance. "What about this proposition?" Then at his sides appeared Meg and Ruby in their new forms.

"You will get Dean Winchester for me."

Lucifer laughed, as did Meg and Ruby. "What's in it for me?" He asked as his burning eyes glowed.

"I will get the younger Winchester for you." Michael said bluntly. "I find this form, easier to move around in, and I have gotten close to him before. Our dear little brother, Castiel, would not expect for me to be after Sam."

"Interesting." Lucifer held his chin and thought for a moment. "This could work. This could end things once and for all." Lucifer turned to walk into the school with his new-bodied companions. "Come girls. We will leave Bambi to my brother here. Let's go break up a profound bond between an angel and boy toy." Lucifer winked back at Michael in his womanly form. "The end of all things, dear brother?"

Michael nodded. "We will finally end this, just a truce for now." As soon as Lucifer was in the high school, Michael scoffed_. _"The end of all things." He then vanished into the air, leaving the leaves that had fallen off the trees in a swirl of air.

"Dean, you really cannot keep anything from me. I will find out eventually." Sam whispered. He was trying to be as quiet as possible to prevent being yelled at by the study hall monitor. "What is going on between you and Castiel?" Sam leaned in to hear a response from his brother. Dean stayed silent. He picked at his cuticles. Sam sighed loudly, enough to get the monitor to look over at him. He scooted his chair forward, grabbing a book from his backpack. He figured he might as well do homework in study hall if his brother wasn't going to talk.

Dean pushed back the skin on his fingernails as a nervous habit. He couldn't say anything to his brother about kissing Castiel. It wasn't natural. His father would probably scalp him if he ever found out. So Dean kept his mouth shut and made sure Castiel was going to keep his shut also. There were already rumors throughout the school. Sam was going to hear them, but Dean could say they were all lies and Sam would believe him for the most part. "Sammy." Dean suddenly said. "Whatever you hear," Dean took a deep breath. "-don't believe it. It's just stupid high school gossip."

Sam gave his brother a confused look, but nodded. He knew better then to directly disobey his brother. Dean was in charge when their father was gone on a hunt. "Alright, Dean. Just, some day, tell me what happened. Okay?" Sam then buried his face into his book, reading every word and taking in the world the text created. Dean liked Sam that way, an innocent kid. Dean never wanted to see his brother broken like how he felt on the inside. It was a hunter's life, but that didn't mean Sam could stay out of it for a little longer.

The rest of the day went by with a breeze. There was no sign of Lucifer or Michael, which relieved the young Winchesters. Castiel was also absent for the rest of the day until the brothers stepped out of the building. Castiel stood there, trench coat on and face looking as blank as ever. "Hello Dean…. Sam." Castiel nodded at the two brothers before turning on his feet and looking up at the sky. Clouds had begun to creep into the sky. The wind had also picked up a small amount.

Dean shifted his bowed legs. He pulled his jacket closer around him. The wind was cold and his jacket wasn't really protecting him from it. "So Cas, I need to get some things at the store and Sammy needs to do some homework at the library or whatever. I was wondering if you-"

"Yes." Castiel said bluntly without letting Dean finish his sentence. But of course, Castiel already knew what Dean was going to ask. "I can stay with Sam while you get your supplies." Castiel continued staring at the darkening clouds overhead. He was weary of them. They usually meant that something was wrong in the heavens, or that his brothers were up to no good. No matter how much he wanted to stay by Dean's side, he was asked to watch Sam. If Dean asked, Castiel would oblige. There was no other person in the world that Dean cared for more. It was Castiel's duty to keep Sam safe, even if that meant leaving Dean alone and unguarded for the moment.

Dean rubbed his cold hands together and breathed hot air into them before stuffing them in his pockets. "Alright, well I guess I'm off then. I'll catch you back 'home,' Sammy." Dean waved goodbye at his brother and his unusual friend and walked off towards the gas station-convenience store combo. He looked back only once, seeing Sam talking with and smiling as Castiel like a normal, happy kid. Dean braced himself against the cold wind and oncoming dark clouds that were sure to bring rain with them. The gas station was a few blocks away and around the corner. It was in the opposite direction of the motel. It wasn't before long when the rain started. Dean cursed at the heavens, but shut up quickly realizing that it probably wasn't the best thing to do at a time like that, since the rain decided the pour.

Once Dean was soaked to the bone. He found shelter under a bus stop. "I get it. I get it." Dean cursed, ringing out his wet clothes onto the pavement. He began to shiver from his cold, wet skin. He stared down the road through the torrential downpour at the gas station in the distance. He could just wait for the bus, but since he was already wet, he figured he might as well just keep going, even if he was going to suffer a cold later on. Stepping out from the covered bus stop, the rain relentlessly beat down on Dean's shoulders. His small steps into the downpour soon turned into a sprint. Dean was cold, but so close to his destination. It was time for his hunter skills to kick in. The cold wasn't going to stop him. Has a vampire ever stopped him? No. A werewolf? No. A ghost? No. Rain was nothing.

Dean splashed the puddles at his feet up in the air. He only slowed down to not splash the two girls walking with umbrellas just ahead of him. He couldn't help but look back at them and notice how attractive they were. They were older, maybe his age or a few years older. Both had dark, wavy hair. Dean really liked dark hair on girls. Heck, on anyone he liked dark hair better than bleached blonde. The thought of dark hair placed a picture of Castiel in his mind. He quickly shook the thought of the angel out of his head and decided to embark on some harmless flirting with the girls.

Sam carried a stack of books over to the table he had claimed for himself. Castiel was sitting there, back straight against the chair. He was staring around the library at the multiple shelves of books. He has only seen that many books before in his memories of the vessel he acquired. Sam set a few books in front of Castiel and asked him to search for some science terms that Castiel already knew, thus didn't have to turn a page. Sam's homework was done in no time. A lot earlier than Sam had expected. Since they were done so early, Sam figured that they would meet up with Dean relatively around the same time at the motel.

Sam closed the book in front of him. "So Cas," Castiel eyed Sam and squinted his eyes in an almost glare. "I mean, _Castiel_. Do you know why my brother is acting so strange today? He told me not to ask anymore, but he seems pretty distracted. I'm worried."

Castiel shuddered at the thought of Dean ripping his wings out. It was a threat he hadn't received before, not even from his older brothers. "I cannot say. He has sworn me to secrecy." Castiel stood up from the table, holding a few books in his arms. "Shall we go then?" Castiel said, checking out the books from the library with a card he had acquired. "You can use these for more research." They were out of the school's library when Castiel handed the books over to Sam so he could put them in his bag. Sam exchanged the books for an umbrella and popped it open. He held it up, but wasn't tall enough to keep Castiel from getting rained on, so Castiel grabbed hold of it and kept them both dry.

They walked in silence down the sidewalk. The rain hit the plastic of the umbrella and made a calming noise. Castiel closed his eyes for a second while walking and just thought about Dean. Dean was a strange human, but there was something that made Castiel feel a little more human when he was around Dean. He liked it. He liked Dean. That he couldn't deny. He wasn't supposed to get close to Dean like he had, but some things just couldn't be avoided. It was like Sam was a mind reader when he asked Castiel his next question.

"Do you love my brother?" Sam felt awkward asking that question to another guy, but he had to know. The way that his brother acted around Castiel was something Sam hadn't seen in a while. He had only seen it once before back when Dean was in middle school and really had a crush on a pretty girl.

Castiel stopped, but Sam had continued walking without the umbrella on accident, getting wet from the rain instantly. "I-" Castiel thought about it. Was it love? He sure had a fondness for Dean, but could it be described as love? "I am fond of the bond I share with him." Castiel found it in his power to move again, so his feet continued forward, catching Sam underneath the umbrella again.

"Then something happened?" Sam asked, walking next to Castiel while shaking his wet hair out. They were almost back to the motel. Sam wanted answers before Dean was there to interfere.

"It was an accident." Castiel blurted out. He stopped again, rushing a hand to his mouth. Why had he spoken? "I mean-" A human-quality blush crept onto his cheeks, brightening up his usually pale face. "I didn't mean to- I didn't- and now he is angry with me." Castiel touched his lips. That gave Sam the answer he wanted. His brother had kissed an angel. Sam thought he noticed a new freckle on Dean's face.

"It's fine, Castiel. Really." Sam smiled childishly. They made it back to the motel in comfortable silence. The door was still locked, which meant Dean hadn't come back from the convenience store yet. The sky was beginning to darken, which worried both Sam and Castiel.

Dean took a step back as the two girls closed in on him. Their good looks were deceiving, as their eyes were pure black. It was just Dean's luck to be caught between two demons with no back up. He reached for the blade in his coat pocket, although it wouldn't do much. The only think that could kill a demon was something of legend. A gun. The Colt. "Son of a bitch." Dean cursed; his heart was pounding in his chest.

"Oh, Dean Winchester. Where's your angel friend?" They asked. By their demeanor, Dean knew exactly who they were. They were the evil chicks that stayed at Lucifer's side. Meg and Ruby. But if they were here, then where was he?

"I could ask you the same thing." Dean's green eyes flickered around, searching for the devil. The rain continued to pour down on the three of them. Meg and Ruby had since dropped their umbrellas. Dean slowly kept backing up, trying to figure out a plan of either getting rid of them or getting the hell out of there. Lucifer was nowhere to be found which filled Dean with dread. If he wasn't there, then he was after Sam. "Where the hell is he?" Dean yelled, droplets of rain fell from his chin. He sputtered some of the water from his lips. "You damn demons. If you lay a finger on my brother… I'll-"

"Who said anything about Sammy?" Dean spun around quickly, pulling his blade from his pocket and stabbing Lucifer in the chest. It did nothing other than put a smile on the devil's face. "I'm here for you, Dean." Lucifer fisted his hand and rammed it into Dean's abdomen.

All of the air in Dean's lungs was gone in an instant. He struggled to catch a breath. Dean watched the world fade around him, and all he could think about was Sam and all he could say before he passed out was, _"Cas, help me."_

Those words spread through the air like poison. Lucifer laughed at such a call for help from the older Winchester. He knew that Michael was on the other end, ready to make things even more interesting. Dean was crumpled to the ground; limbs limp against the wet pavement. The cold rain lightened up, but still drenched Dean's vacant-minded body. The poison was spreading. Castiel tasted it in the air. He felt the terror in his bones. Jumping up from the seat he was in, he was on high alert. "Dean." Castiel threw his thoughts out into the town. He tried to find Dean, but couldn't. Something was terribly wrong. "Dean!" The second time Dean's name was called by Castiel, Sam came running out of the bathroom. He had been taking a shower to warm up from the cold rain outside.

"What's the matter? Where's Dean?" Sam pulled a shirt over his head and down over his chest. "Castiel, what's going on?" Dean wasn't in the room like Sam had thought. That meant something had gone wrong.

"I can't find him." Castiel reached over to Sam. "We must go. I fear-" The room began to shake just as Castiel knew it would. "Sam, you need to grab a hold of me now." Castiel almost touched fingers with Sam when the room exploded around them. Castiel was thrown back against the back wall, and Sam was rammed against the wall near the front of the room. The pressure in the room was unbearable. Castiel knew the power. He knew who was behind it. It scared him.

"Hello brother." Castiel stared wide-eyed at his brother, Michael, across the room by Sam. He held the younger Winchester tightly in a choking grasp. "I'll just be on my way." The power rose in the room, causing Castiel to buckle down to the floor and watch as Michael snapped his fingers and Sam disappeared from the room. Castiel felt his heart drop. He said he would watch over Sam for Dean. He failed. Michael won. Lucifer won. Castiel had lost entirely. He felt the intense pressure start to swallow him, as Michael got a little closer. "Now I can't have you interfering anymore." Michael said with a hiss in his voice. "I hope you enjoy heaven."

Castiel felt Michael's cold fingers press to his forehead. A searing white, hot pain ran through his body and he felt his body being ripped to shreds as it was torn up into the heavens. It was painful coming down from heaven, but ten times worse being taken back to heaven. Castiel felt his grace being ripped from his vessel, then placed back inside of him as he made it up to heaven. The world around him ceased to exist. Images of the past, present, and future flooded his mind until he couldn't take it anymore and he blacked out.

Castiel woke to a sharp jab in his side. His blue eyes stared into the bright sky over head. A vibrant colored kite flew into his field of vision and he realized where he was. It was his favorite heaven. It was just like his grace to find it's way to the heaven of the autistic man who drowned in his bathtub. Castiel's smile faded into a grimace as the jabbing in his side continued.

"Wake up, Cas." Said a familiar voice. Castiel could just picture the face that went with the voice. Ease drifted over his features.

"You don't want to just lay there, Cassy." Said another man in a heavily accented voice. Castiel sat up, looking around at his surroundings and then stared at his two closest brothers.

"Gabriel. Balthazar." He figured out what the jabbing was. Gabriel had been poking him with a sharp stick. Castiel's other brother, Balthazar, watched in amusement with wide ice-blue eyes. The fun and games disappeared when Castiel realized what had happened. He stood up fast, swaying a little.

Gabriel held him still. "Whoa. Stand still, bro." Castiel pushed away from Gabriel. He fell forward into Balthazar. His body was so weak. The trek to heaven against his will was too much to handle, but the Winchesters were in trouble. He had to get back to earth. That much was certain, but his brothers weren't allowing him to take another step.

Balthazar held Castiel by his shoulders. "You can't do any more for them." The words ran through Castiel. He pushed past Balthazar and stumbled until he fell to his knees. His chest heaved as he struggled to breathe. Castiel had gotten used to Earth that he forgot the weight of heaven. He fisted a clump of grass and ripped it from the ground. Gabriel and Balthazar watched their brother with sad looks on their faces. "Castiel, you can't-"

"I will!" Castiel yelled out in a husky voice. "I will do everything for them!" Castiel turned to face his brothers. His eyes were a glowing blue. His grace was shining brightly. "Now where is father?"


	9. Heaven is Calling

**Chapter 9: Heaven is Calling**

Heaven was something Castiel always looked up to. He knew his father was there, hiding in the center of all. The problem was that the center could not be found. There were millions, even trillions of heavens. Each heaven was made for each deceased human. Castiel knew of a few heavens to which he journeyed to, but he had yet to find the center of it all. He had yet to find his father, to talk to him face to face. Sure Castiel had prayed to his father and received advice in return, but he had never _seen_ his father. Talking with his father was how he knew where to find the Winchesters, and how to save them. God had told him. But why was God's plan failing? Why were Michael and Lucifer winning the battle and starting the apocalypse early? Castiel had to have the answers.

"Do you know where he is?" Castiel wobbled up to a standing position. He steadied his feet on the green grass. " Gabriel, Balthazar, please." Castiel begged. Dean was in trouble. He didn't want to lose him.

"No one knows." Balthazar said, his voice thick with a heavy accent. He stood back from Castiel once he knew his brother could stand on his own. "You're just going to have to wait this out. They're just humans after all." Balthazar eyed his brother once over. "And there is no way you can possibly get back down there, looking like that." Balthazar pointed a finger at Castiel's appearance. It was heavenly. He was no longer in the vessel from earth. The teenage body was no longer his. That body was long gone, still down on earth, unconscious in the Winchester's motel room. His figure now was shining blue, from his grace, and pulsating with heat. "You're in limbo right now. Not quite vessel worthy, you need rest."

"I can't rest. I need to save them." Castiel clenched his glowing fists. Balthazar tried to calm him down, but Castiel was infuriated at his failure. "Now, can you help me or not?" That was one of the few times Castiel lost his cool. He was a pretty levelheaded angel, but at that moment he could start a war with just the anger in his voice.

Balthazar stared at his blue-eyed brother. He was speechless. He had never seen an angel so attached to those they were supposed to watch over. Dean Winchester must have been some human to change an angel that drastically. "I wi-" Balthazar was hesitant, but Gabriel finished his sentence for him.

"We will. Because no one else is a bigger and greater bag of dicks than Mike and Luci." Gabriel gave a bright smile and placed his hands on his brothers' shoulders. "Shall I lead the way?" They needed to move quickly if they were going to take Michael and Lucifer down before they got into their destined vessels. Gabriel closed his eyes, thinking hard about which heaven would be closest to the center. Upon opening his eyes, the three brothers found themselves in an airy heaven, filled with flowing wind and water running between their feet.

"Whose heaven is this?" Balthazar asked. The wind whipped at his clothing and rippled through Castiel's form. Castiel's form wavered before Gabriel shook his head at the scenery. He knew this heaven wasn't close enough to the center. He placed his hands at their shoulder once more and they moved onto the next heaven.

The third and fourth heaven trip caused Castiel to crumple to his knees. Balthazar was right. He needed his rest. His angelic abilities were at a dangerous low. He sat on the ground next to the road that was in the heaven. Cars sped past like a fast-forwarded recording. Balthazar sat next to him and took a deep breath. "We should be getting closer." He assured Castiel, patting him on his glowing back.

"Unfortunately we're not." Gabriel kicked some dirt at his feet. " We're currently in the heaven of a man who died only recently, so this is pretty close to the edge of it all. This is one of Michael's vessels' heavens." Gabriel waved his hand in the air. Fog had begun to creep into the heaven. It clouded the angel's visions. Gabriel frowned. "I think we are in for a little show. This being Michael's old vessel's heaven after all."

The cloudy fog began to show images of earth. Castiel sat straight in attention. He knew these images. They were very like the times he had encountered with Michael's green-eyed, curly brown-haired vessel. The one he had kept longest before moving onto the woman.

The images moved quickly, blurring at the edges of the foggy clouds. There were memories of Dean in the fog. Castiel's heart ached at the sight of the special human. Balthazar gave him a sad look. He took pity in his brother for getting so attached to a human. Especially since human's life spans last only a second in the lives of angels. "Castiel-" Balthazar watched the images and felt his brothers pain. Even though humans were mere insects on the scale of all other beings, he had a soft spot for them like his brother, Castiel.

"Enough of this pity party. We got a baby daddy to find." Gabriel clapped his hands together and the angels appeared in a new heaven. This time, the heaven around them was the same as many others. It was a typical heaven. It was a hilled valley of golden flowers. The wind swept down the hill and rustled the flowers, throwing petals into the air around the brothers. Gabriel sighed and blew his hair from his face. "We're way past our three strikes."

Castiel could feel it. Even though they had been jumping from one heaven to another, he felt energized. That could only mean one thing. "We're close." He said, squinting his eyes and looking off into the distance. He could feel his body start to form back to look like his vessel. He chose that image, he could really look like anything he wanted to, but Dean knew the image of his teenage vessel, so he was going to stick to it. His glowing skin faded back to its normal, peachy tone.

As Castiel's skin repaired its self and the overall blue-ish glow faded, he could easily stand up on his own and explore the heaven. He found himself climbing the side of the hill to overlook it in hopes of seeing something that would lead to his father. Unfortunately, over the hill was just more flowers. The field was still golden in color, but completely still. Gabriel and Balthazar had followed Castiel up the hillside and were baffled by the change in the wind, but after a moment Gabriel had a wide grin on his face. "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Gabriel asked, nudging Balthazar with his elbow.

"I'm thinking we made it." Balthazar responded. He took a step forward and the wind picked up to hurricane proportions. The flowers began to rip from the ground revealing something shining underneath. The glow was much like Castiel's graced skin, by more powerful, with more heat. Castiel stared at it in awe.

Upon seeing his brother's confused face, Gabriel started to laugh. "You've never seen it, have you, Cas?" He held his hand out for his brother. "It's quite amazing, isn't it?

"What is it?" Castiel asked. He squinted at the brightness of the scenery change.

"The gates to true heaven." Gabriel had seen it before, a very long time ago. His heart was pounding at the thought of the last time he had been even remotely near that place. Michael and Lucifer had argued there. That's where it all started. Gabriel took a step forward. "Come on, you wanted to see daddy didn't you?" As each of the brothers took their steps forward, the heaven around them changed and morphed into the spectacular. The intensity of the place blinded Castiel for a moment, but then he opened his eyes, he was nearly in tears from its beauty.

Before them was a large gate. One could say they were the Pearly Gates of heaven and they would be right. The shined like no other grace Castiel had seen. He was almost afraid to touch them until Gabriel and Balthazar merely stepped through then and disappeared on the other side. Centering himself, Castiel followed them through.

On the other side, the once serene field of flowers with large gates turned into a bustling center filled with many angels in formal wear. Balthazar and Castiel felt extremely out of place. They were babies compared to Gabriel's age and the age of the angels walking around in true heaven. It was no wonder when they stepped forward into the bustling group of working angels that they all stopped and stared at the brothers. The recognized Gabriel instantly, but they were weary of the other two angels at his side.

"Alright, alright. Back to your business." Gabriel walked forward, raising his hands in sort of a hello to the other angels. "That's right, Gabe's in the building. Now where's papa?" The suited angels resumed their hurrying about the true heaven. They made sure to get out of the way of the three that had just stepped inside. Only one stopped them, she looked extremely uptight and judging by her stance, she was someone of importance.

"Did you have an appointment?" She asked, pushing her glasses up the bridge of her nose. She held a clipboard in her arms and a pen was placed behind her ear. "You cannot be here without an appointment of the right credentials." She eyed Castiel, Balthazar, and Gabriel over and smirked. "You three do not look like you would have the right papers to be here. Please state you reasoning for being in true heaven."

Balthazar smiled at her sweetly, but poison was behind his words. "I think that since we are all _his_ children, that we should be able to see him _without_ and appointment." He then walked right past her. She was so flustered by his disobedience towards the system that she dropped her clipboard. Castiel picked it up for her and placed it back in her hands.

"See you later, doll face." Gabriel winked at her and her hair frizzed out. Her glasses fell down her nose as she watched the angels walk off towards the center of true heaven. Castiel could feel his grace grow stronger the closer they got to the center. He was sure that Balthazar and Gabriel felt it also. Castiel was thankful that they were almost there, but worried about how much time they had spent in heaven. Sure time was spent differently on Earth than it was in heaven, but every second counted when Dean and Sam were in trouble. Castiel picked up the pace and they eventually made it to a large glass green house. It was much like a botanical garden. Castiel pushed the large glass door open and thick, hot, air flowed out. He took a deep breath, wondering about what his father actually looked like and what he was going to say to him.

Inside the large green house, the angels found themselves lost in a sea of green foliage. Not only were there exotic plants, but also vibrantly colored birds that flew overhead. Just ahead from the entrance of the green house there was a small bubbling waterfall. Koi fish swam in the small pond where the water from the waterfall fell. The beautiful natural sounds created a calming effect on the angels. Balthazar found himself wandering off into the foliage, as did Gabriel. Castiel walked forward and soon they were all separated. Castiel called out to his brothers, but all he could hear were the caws of the wild birds overhead and the water from the fall.

Castiel wandered around the green house, it seemed like it never ended, until he saw a clearing ahead of him. He stepped out of the bush he dug through to get there. It was a small platform that adorned the center of the green house. Castiel looked to his side and saw Balthazar coming out from the plants; at his other side was Gabriel. They had all found the center. The air thickened and Castiel looked ahead. There was a man. Castiel's heart pounding, and his grace burned slowly inside of him. "Is that-?"

"Hey, dad." Gabriel said nonchalantly, walking forward towards the man. Gabriel was taller and looked so much older than the man who was tending to a single flower in the middle of the platform in a small pot. "Gabriel." He said in a pleasant tone. He then turned around and faced the angels. "Castiel and Balthazar too!"

"Father?" Castiel walked forward, amazed at how young God was. He was sort of short for someone so powerful. He wore a robe like garment and honestly looked like someone who had just gotten out of bed. He was holding a cup of water in his hands, most likely to water the beautiful flower he was tending to.

"Call me Chuck, Castiel." Chuck dripped the water gently over the flower and then the cup in his hands disappeared. "So Michael and Lucifer are causing trouble on earth?" Chuck paced around and then pulled a book out from the inside of his robe. He took out a pen and wrote down a few things before closing it and placing it back into his robe. "I think I know how to fix this." He rubbed his eyes and walked over to Castiel. He placed a hand on his shoulder.

"I've failed you." Castiel hung his head low. "I couldn't keep the Winchester's safe." It was the sad reality and Castiel waited for his punishment, but only a nervous laugh came from Chuck.

"You think this is a failure? It's life, Castiel! I can't expect all of you guys to succeed at everything you do." Chuck patted Castiel on the shoulder. "You just need a little back up is all." Warmth spread from Chuck's palm into Castiel. "I'm going to get you back down there with something a little extra to help you throw Lucifer back down where he belongs." Chuck got a sad look on his face. The thought of Lucifer still hurt. He looked over to Gabriel and then to Balthazar. "And you two, I need you two bring Michael back upstairs where I can deal with him. He wasn't supposed to interfere with the Winchester's destinies until the time was right." Gabriel and Balthazar nodded. Castiel couldn't believe that he had a chance to talk with his father and he actually wanted to help. He was thankful for his chance to redeem himself. The brothers had their orders. Before they could thank Chuck for giving them guidance and the power to bring Lucifer and Michael down he was gone.

"What are we waiting for?" Gabriel grinned, taking Castiel by one arm, Balthazar had the other. The green house around them shook and the glass started to crack. Before they knew it, they were beamed through the clouds down to Earth. Castiel returned to his healed vessel's body. The lights in the motel room flashed, revealing each of the angels' wings. "We have some big brother ass to kick."


	10. There is Always Death in the End

**Chapter 10: There is Always Death in the End**

"One day God decided to make a being in his image. He told his children, his angels, to accept these beings and love them unconditionally." Dean was cold. His whole body was shaking. Each breath felt like ice being shoved down his throat. His blurred vision went in and out as did his consciousness. "You see… I couldn't do that. I don't see how my brothers ever could. You creatures-" Dean felt a kick in his side, "-are vile-" another kick, this time harder, "-unsavory-" a rib cracked and each breath Dean took shot fiery pain to shoot through Dean's chest, " -wastes of space!" The final kick flipped Dean over on his back. He sputtered for breath. His green eyes strained as he clenched his teeth in pain. Standing just beside his broken body was Lucifer. A wild grin graced his face. "Now Dean, when my brother gets here, you have two choices. Either say yes, and live a life as a meat suit for Michael and eventually die by my hand. Or say no, and still die."

"Bite me." Dean managed to growl out. His vision slowly cleared up, although his body still shook with pain. He glanced around the room, noticed several people just watching. Two of which were the girls he was ambushed by. He figured the rest of the gang was demons as well. Lucifer lifted Dean by the collar of his shirt. Dean's feet left the ground as Lucifer raised him up higher, choking air from Dean's sore lungs.

"Would you like to try that again?" Lucifer asked, glaring straight into Dean's mossy eyes. "I don't see why Castiel wants to save you so badly. You're just a mere soul. Nothing special. There are millions of souls out there." Lucifer threw Dean to the ground and his ribs gave a loud crack. Searing pain crippled Dean. It was one of the worst pains he had endured in his life. "Although, you are supposed to be a large part of my little brother's future. Daddy's plan and all, but unfortunately I'm going to end that here.

Dean thought about Lucifer's words. The random images flooded his mind yet again. "How do you know that?" He sputtered. A small amount of blood dripped from his lips. His lungs were on fire, and it was getting harder to breath. "How?" He asked again before cringing at the pain of his splintered rib hitting the soft tissue of his lung.

"A cool thing about being an angel, we can see the past, the present, and the future." Lucifer waved his hand in the air gracefully. He flooded Dean's mind with the same images he had been seeing when Castiel was near. "And with you still being alive, the future you now hold, is filled with images of him." Lucifer cut the images off just as quick as he allowed them into Dean's head. "But you shouldn't worry about that, because none of it will happen." He let out a loud cackle. The skin at the sides of his mouth cracked, much like the rest of his skin.

Dean spit out what blood was in his mouth. "That body is falling apart on you, dude." Dean would have added another snarky comment if his lungs hadn't protested him after the first comment. It would have been something along the line of how Lucifer looked like he had gotten into a fight with a cheese grater or something along those lines. The small laugh he added to his remark turned into a wheeze that caused him to hold his side.

Lucifer laughs got louder. "But you see, Dean. That's what we have Sammy for!" Lucifer clapped his hands together and the lights above their heads flickered at the room began to shake. Lucifer sidestepped and dramatically gestured towards the door. The door then burst open, a bright light accompanying the figure stepping into the large room. "Ta Da!" Lucifer jazz handed and grinned wickedly.

Michael walked into the room. Or at least thought it was Michael. The crazy look in the woman's eyes suggested the greedy angel overtook her. Dean also realized that she was dragging something behind her. Once Michael was fully in the room, Dean's eyes widened. "Sam!" Being dragged behind Michael by the rim of his shirt was Sam. Dean had begun to worry. Sam wasn't responding. He wasn't fighting. He was just limp. "Sam!" Dean fought his way to a sitting position, he was almost ready to get to his feet when Lucifer kicked him down and held him down with his foot. Dean gasped, feeling a piercing, hot stab in his lung. "Ah-!" He laid there on the ground, taking in short, and shallow breaths.

Michael frowned at the situation. "I see you had your fun with my vessel." He dragged Sam over to the center of the room. The demons all around stood at attention, ready to protect their father if the need arose. "Shall we get to this?" Michael reached under Sam's arms and raised him from the ground. Lucifer ordered his demons to do the same with Dean. Both brothers' heads hung low past their shoulders. "Now all we need is a little persuasion." Michael snapped his fingers and Sam groggily came back to Earth. "Now Sam, you're just going to sit tight. No harm will come to you if we just get the right answer."

"Dean?" Sam looked up, his shaggy hair covering his tired eyes. He felt a pressure in his body, like he was going to explode.

"I'm right here, Sammy. Don't you worry. I'll get us out of this. Don't you worry. Dad put me in charge. So I'll get us out of this mess." Dean struggled with the grip of the demons. Each word he said and each breath caused insurmountable pain. He gulped down the sick feeling he had in his throat and kept his eyes locked on Sam. "Sam, just don't say anything, don't think anything. You hear me?"

"Alright, I've had enough of this. Sammy? Lets see if you change your mind when I do this." Lucifer waved a hand over at Dean and a slice of air cut through Dean's shirt, cutting the flesh beneath and leaving a long gash in Dean's chest. Lucifer waved again, the motion continuing. Blood splattered to the floor. "Now, Sam?"

"D-don't you dare say anything or so help me I will get dad on your ass about this." Dean gasped; it was getting harder to breath. And with a combination of blood loss, Dean was due to pass out soon. He gulped, the motion sending waves of pain through his body.

Sam squirmed in Michael's arms. "Dean!" He kicked back, hitting Michael's vessel over and over again. Michael did not falter. He did not budge. He just watched Lucifer intently, making sure his vessel wasn't damaged all too much in the quest to get an agreement out of Dean and Sam. Lucifer ran his hand over Dean's wound, the older Winchester growled in pain. His eyes were watering from holding in his painful yelps.

"Sammy, keep quiet." Dean's voice cracked. Blood was now falling from a cut in his forehead. He used all his strength to raise his head and look up to his bother. "It'll be alright." Lucifer ordered his demons to let Dean go. He dropped to his knees, arms slack at his sides. His clothes were soaked in his own blood. He went silent, and that scared Sam to his core.

"So Bambi. What's the result?" Lucifer pet Dean's head, raising a golden eyebrow at Sam. Sam was in tears. Dean was strong. Dean was his idol. But Dean was broken down and in trouble. All Sam had to do was say yes. That was it. That's all he had to do to save his brother from any more torture. "Eh, Sammy?"

Sam snuffed his nose and looked Lucifer straight in the eye. "Just don't hurt him anymore." Tears fell from his hazel eyes. "Please, just let him be." Just then, Sam saw his brother's hands move. He watched the movement while keeping Michael and Lucifer preoccupied. "I don't care what you do with me. Just let Dean-" Sam stopped mid-sentence. Dean looked up at Sam. A glint of light caught his green eyes. He then looked down at his masterpiece. Before him, caught in the shadow of his body, was an angel banishing sigil. He smirked at Sammy, and as he was just about to press his bloody hand to the sigil, he was stopped. Lucifer held Dean's arm high above his head. "You forget that we are angels. We practically see everything." With just a twitch of his wrist, Lucifer snapped Dean's arm. The crack was sickening to Sam's ears. Dean crumpled to the ground, letting out a deep yell.

"That's enough, brother." Michael growled, gripping Sam a little tighter until the younger Winchester winced in pain. Lucifer hissed at Michael. He was about to kick Dean to the side when Michael barked his order again. "I said that is enough!" The sound of his voice vibrated the walls around them. A few demons on Lucifer's side had to high tail it out of there because they were so afraid. "You've done enough to my vessel."

Lucifer smirked. He spit at the ground next to Dean. "But I was so close to little Sammy giving me his answer." Lucifer's eyes glowed with a fiery intensity. Sam squirmed a little more in Michael's arms, but his effort only tightened Michael's grip on his arms. He looked over at his brother, crumpled to the floor. The blood was starting to pool around Dean; soon he was going to lose too much. Sam was terrified at what had happened. He shook uncontrollably.

"Please." Sam begged. Michael loosened his grip only slightly. "Please."

"Please what? Bambi?" Lucifer chuckled. "_Please stop hurting my brother!"_ Lucifer imitated Sam. He then laughed harder. "Just one simple word. All you have to say is yes." Lucifer skipped on his feet back to Dean. He kneeled down and grabbed a fist full of Dean's hair. He lifted the older Winchester, bloodied and bruised, from the ground. Michael hissed at Lucifer's actions.

"Brother." Michael growled. "There is no need for this. If you go any further to harm him I will have to take action against this." Sam could feel Michael's womanly vessel snake her arms away from his arms and to his neck. Sam could feel his lungs already start to struggle for air. "Two can play at this game."

"D-dean!" Sam choked out. Dean didn't move from Lucifer's clumped, hair grip. Lucifer just eyed Sam, waiting for a response and standing at high alert in case Michael tried choking Sam out until there was nothing left in his lungs. Sam felt defeated. He clawed at the hands around his neck, but nothing could be done. He stared at Dean, hoping his brother would just wake up and save the day. After a moment of eerie silence, Sam let the tears fall from his face freely. "Y-yes."

Lucifer perked up. He dropped Dean to the floor with a thud. "What was that?" He took a step forward. Michael was displeased that Sam broke down first, but this meant Dean was sure to follow his brother into the fire. He let the younger Winchester go and walked over to Dean while Lucifer grinned wickedly at Sam. "What did you say, Sam?" Lucifer cupped Sam's tear streaked cheek in his cracked hand.

Sam would have fell to his knees if Lucifer hadn't held him up. "I s-said yes-just no more- please just no more." The room around them began to shake. Sam closed his eyes after taking one last look at his brother. _Maybe this will save him_. Sam thought. An overwhelming heat filled his body as Lucifer's vessel in front of his vanished into the air and he felt an intruding presence. Sam screamed, his throat almost tearing from the shear strain. His body glowed. The screaming continued, terrifyingly loud.

Dean stirred. His body was in shambles. His lung clearly punctured by his broken rib. All he could hear were screams, blood-curdling screams. He raised himself slightly from the floor, trying to figure out what was going on. His blood loss made his vision blurry, but the intense light was something he couldn't miss. Then the screams became familiar. "SAM!" But the thing standing on the other side of the room wasn't Sam anymore. Sure it looked like his brother, but Dean knew. He knew that his little brother had made the wrong decision. Every nerve in Dean's body was on fire. With all of the strength left in his body, he lunged forward, towards his brother. "Dammit Lucifer! Get out of him!" Dean was choked back when Michael grabbed the collar of his shirt.

"Your turn." Michael's vessel grinned widely. The woman was already falling apart and just waiting for Dean to see that there was no hope in saving his brother from the devil. That he might as well join the bandwagon. "Don't want to leave Sam all alone in this, now do you?" Michael wiped Dean's streaming tears away from his face. "Now what do you say, Dean Winchester?"

Dean gulped; the pain in his body was overwhelming. He looked over at his brother, glowing from the demon inside. Sam's body looked strained. Dean just couldn't imagine the pain his brother was in. It sickened him. "Sammy…" He croaked out before falling before Michael. "Why Sam? Why him?" Dean bit his bottom lip. Contemplating his next move, but there was nothing he could do. He could only oblige. Save the world the trouble and let it burn to the ground. After all, Sam was gone. There was nothing left in the world for Dean, not even Castiel. The damn angel never showed up. "He never…." Michael smirked, placing a hand on Dean's head. Dean closed his eyes solemnly. He let his thoughts run free. Let him mind go loose. "Y-"

Just then a bright light filled the room. It wasn't like the light that had taken over Sam's body, the light that Lucifer emanated from his new vessel. It was something pure. Dean felt it in his bones. He felt it in his wounds. They tingled like they were healing. When Dean looked down at his chest, the cuts were healing themselves. His breathing came easier. Dean looked around the room. The demons had all scattered. In the light stood three figures facing Lucifer. The lights overhead shattered, sending sparks all around. Dean saw their wings. The figures were angels, and one of those angels was wearing a familiar tan trench coat.

"C-Cas?" Dean blinked, the figures becoming clearer to him. One was definitely Casstiel, the other two were a bit older, once with longer hair pushed back and the other had short hair and wore a weird V-neck shirt. Castiel glanced over his shoulder at Dean. He nodded at the older Winchester, and then barked out orders to the other.

"Get him out of here." Balthazar moved swiftly, but Michael was on his toes. He grabbed Dean forcefully, choking him with one arm and keeping Balthazar at bay with the other. Balthazar stopped immediately, worry in his eyes as he watched Dean claw at the arm around his neck.

"I don't think so. Dean is staying here until I get what I want." Michael growled, crushing Dean's throat with every passing moment. "I suggest you leave, brothers." Michael stared Balthazar down. The British angel took a step back, looking back to Castiel quickly so that he could receive more orders. After all, Castiel was the one with the powers. Castiel knew that Lucifer was still in transition, and that he had a few moments to spare before the work could be done with the devil. He turned quickly on his feet, angel blade ready in his hand. "You think that can kill me?!" Michael's voice boomed. His vessel was ripping apart at that moment. "You really think you can best me, dear brother?" He threw his head back in laughter. Castiel was mere inches away when Michael did the unexpected. "Do you think that there aren't any other Winchester's out there? That I can do this?"

"NO!" Castiel yelled, reaching for Dean. But it was too late. Michael yanked his arm, which was holding Dean by the neck, back. The loud snap and thud to the ground sent Castiel over the edge. Dean laid lifeless on the cold ground as Michael laughed maniacally. "MICHAEL!" Castiel lunged forward, past his perfect, human's body. He drove the angel blade right into Michael's abdomen. The glow from his body traveled to Michael's and the room exploded around them. "Go back to heaven and receive punishment for your sins!" With that, Castiel used his god given powers to send his older brother back to the heavens. When all was done, Castiel dreadfully looked back at Dean's body. Balthazar was there, holding the older Winchester. Angel tears fell from Balthazar's cheeks. Castiel kneeled down and placed his forehead on Dean's. He gently placed a kiss on Dean's cold lips. The tears fell from his eyes and dripped to Dean's face.

"Better get over here, Castiel." Gabriel shouted.

Lucifer had fallen to his new vessel's knees. He rolled his shoulders and cracked his neck. The transition was done. Lucifer stood up. Immense power leaked from his body. He stared at his hands and was pleased with himself. "Ah, wonderful." Lucifer grinned wickedly. "Absolutely wonderful." Gabriel stood tall and defensive. He had his angel blade in hand. Lucifer merely laughed at him. "I am invincible now. That tooth pick won't do much."

Castiel rose to his feet. The tears still streamed down his face, but the expression he held was not one of sadness. It was anger. He was furious. He was vengeful. "Balthazar, take him away from here." Castiel ordered. Soon the fluttering sounds of wings were heard and Balthazar was gone with Dean's body. Castiel stomped forward at Lucifer. "You will leave that body, now." Castiel's voice was not his own. "Lucifer, I named you. You must obey my every command." The room shook as the voice of God was spoken from Castiel's lips. "Michael is no longer around. He is with me. And you-" Castiel rose his hand, obeying the will of God. "-will be thrown back into the pit of hell for what you have done."

A light shot from Castiel's hand, piercing Lucifer in the chest. He screamed with Sam's already torn vocal cords. Light burst from Sam's mouth, eyes, and chest. Gabriel shot forward and caught the young Winchester before he fell hard to the ground. Castiel stood tall beside them. Tears were running down Sam's features, but his voice was still Lucifer. "Father." The light still poured from his chest. "Father, I only ever loved you." He held tight to Gabriel's sleeve, holding himself up.

Castiel shook his head. "You must love me and all of my children." Castiel leaned down next to Gabriel and Sam's body. Lucifer was hanging on by a thread. "In time, I will allow you reprieve from your actions, but you must let go." Castiel touched Lucifer's forehead, as was the will of God. The last of the light poured from Sam's body and seeped into the ground where it fell to the pit of hell where it belonged.

Sam slumped in Gabriel's arms, completely exhausted. Gabriel smiled down at Sam, finding that he liked the small human in his arms. Sam's eyes fluttered open. The hazel surrounded by blood shot white. "Wh-who're you?" Sam asked. Gabriel smiled introducing himself as Sam's guardian angel, the archangel Gabriel. Sam merely, nodded, too exhausted to say anything back. He rolled his head back and passed out from all the commotion that had happened to him in such a short time.

"W-we need to go." Castiel swayed, holding his head. "I need to get to Dean. Dean is-" Castiel frowned. Gabriel stood up, Sam in his arms and nodded at his brother. He placed a hand on Castiel's shoulder and they both disappeared from the battered and broken room. Castiel stumbled forward once they transported back to the Winchester's motel room. Balthazar was there, sitting next to the bed where Dean laid, cold as rock. "Dean." He breathed; Balthazar gave him room, stepping away from the bed. Castiel took his place and took Dean's hand into his.

"I couldn't do anything to-" Balthazar paused. "I'm sorry."

"No." Castiel whispered, kissing Dean's hand. "No." He intertwined his fingers in Dean's. There was not human warmth left, just cold, lifeless fingers. "Dean." Castiel whispered into Dean's hand. "Come back. This is my entire fault. Come back, please." Castiel kissed Dean's hand again, this time, his tears falling to his skin. "It wasn't an accident. I wanted to." The tears pooled in Dean's palm. No matter how much Castiel's begged, no life came to the Winchester. He sat back and trembled. He didn't know what to do with all the emotion he held in his body. He didn't even know he could retain so many human qualities in such a short amount of time. But it was all thanks to Dean's Winchester. The human he cared about. The human he-

_You love him._

"Yes." Castiel prayed.

_You would protect him with all of your grace if you had to._

"Yes, I would."

_Then I will give him back to you on one condition._

"Anything, please." Castiel stared upwards, towards the heavens. His brothers stood back. Gabriel held tightly to Sam in his arms. "Please, just tell me."

_Let him forget the pain, the memories of the past, visions of the future. Let him forget._

Castiel nodded, silently accepting his father's words. He leaned over Dean's body and kissed him for the last time. When their lips parted, Castiel could feel the warmth of air come from Dean's mouth. His chest rose and fell. Then his eyes fluttered open, revealing emerald green irises. "Goodbye, Dean." Castiel took a step back, and before Dean could sit up, the angels were gone with a flash of light. The room was sound; the Winchester brother's were safe. Dean looked over and Sam was fast asleep in the chair by the small coffee table. He held his chest, wondering why he was sore, but there was no visual damage to his body. He rubbed his neck and yawned, cracking his jaw.

"Hey, Sammy. Wake up kid." Dean shouted, waking his brother up instantly. Sam fell out of the chair, freaking out on the way down to the floor. "Dork."

"Well if you hadn't scared the crap out of me then I wouldn't have fallen to the floor." Sam growled, rubbing his backside as he stood up. "How long have we been asleep?" He asked, pulling at the blinds and squinting at the sun outside.

"Don't know, but it looks like morning and I feel like crap." Dean swung his legs over the side of the bed and placed his feet to the floor. Something caught his eye on the floor between his feet. He leaned down and picked it up. It was a single dark feather, too large for any bird.

"Time for school?" Sam asked, gathering his books and things and placing them in his bag. Dean nodded, playing with the feather in his hand before placing it on the nightstand. Sam ran a brush through his hair before speaking again. "Do you think that weird guy will be there today? What was his name…Castiel?"

Dean shrugged. "Well I would assume so. Cas is a student there after all." He stood up from the bed and wondered why everything felt so strange. He picked up the feather from the nightstand and ran his finger over the tiny, soft strands.

"When did you start calling him Cas?" Sam asked, raising an eyebrow at his brother.

"I don't remember." He said solemnly, grabbing his jacket and pulling his arms through the sleeves. He placed the feather inside his pocket and walked towards the door. "Come on, or we'll be late." Sam rushed out the door. Dean stared inside the room for a moment before shutting and locking the door.

Castiel wasn't at school that day.


End file.
